Ghost From Past
by RubyRoy87
Summary: They bring closure to the victims' families. They put away killers for life. What happens when one gets away and returns to haunt them? *NOT A 3XK FIC*
1. Chapter 1

_**This story is rated 'M'. It contains sex between the lead characters, violence, masturbation, sexual violence and murder. The description can be graphic at some point. If such content disturbs you, don't read it. If you're underage or if it is illegal for you to read such content, don't read it. You have been warned.**_

He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, as he remembered the past.

His eyes were wide open but distant. His jaws were clenched together painfully. His fingers were balled into fists. His naked body was rigid. He could feel the anger burn through his veins, burning every inch of his body. He could feel something else too… Lust.

He removed his eyes from the ceiling as he gazed to the wall on his right. As his eyes took in the poster of the sexy woman plastered on the wall, he could feel his body responding. His left hand brushed over his own bare chest and abdomen, snaking its way down. As his fingers traced the margin of his pubic hair, he took in a deep breath and smiled. After running his fingers through the thick, curly hair, his fingers found their destination. He wrapped his fingers around his shaft tightly and gazed at the face of the woman once more. His hand started the pumping motion on its own accord. He closed his eyes in pleasure… the pleasure radiating from his body, from his fantasies. He pictured the woman below him, fighting, losing the fight, breaking and begging. As the pleasure heightened, he could visualize all the ways in which he could, and would, break her. As his breath became ragged and came out in short puffs, he could see the woman lying in a coffin. He could imagine her husband bent over her casket, his body wracked with sobs. God, he hated that man… that man who thought he was clever. Only if he could break her in front of that jerk of a husband… maybe he could find a way. He could almost smell the cold earth that would cover the coffin. He could almost read her headstone:

_Katherine Beckett_

_17.11.1979 – 23.03.2015_

_A devoted NYPD detective, a loving daughter and wife and an extraordinary woman._

And he came.

(…..)

_3 hours later:_

The shrill ring of the cell phone broke the sleepy silence of the room. Kate pulled out her hand from under the comforter and fumbled for her phone, her head still burrowed in her pillow. She finally found the device on the bedside table and brought it to her ears.

"Beckett," her voice was heavy with sleep.

"Hey boss, sorry to wake you up. We've got a body."

Kate stifled a groan as she cracked her eyelids open and switched on the table lamp.

"Okay, give me the address."

By the time she had finished scribbling down the address, she was wide awake and ready to step into cop mode.

"And hey boss, don't forget to drag your husband along!"

Before Kate could open her mouth with a retort, Ryan had hung up.

Kate frowned for a moment and then smiled. Her eyes fell briefly on the timepiece. It read 4.30am, 01-03-2015. It was too early and she debated if she should really wake Rick up. She looked over her shoulder to at her sleeping husband but found him watching her instead.

"It's still creepy, you know." She tried to keep her tone grave but a small smile pulled up the corner of her lips.

His lips spread into a wide grin. "I don't care. I'm watching my sexy wife."

"I've been your wife for a year now." She rolled her gorgeous eyes in the way only she could.

"So?"

Castle's hands covered the distance between them and snaked around her naked waist, trying to pull her towards him.

"Not now Rick, duty calls." She sighed.

"Oh…."

Kate couldn't hold back the small chuckle. His lower lip stuck out cutely as he pouted. She leaned into him to kiss the pout away but stood up quickly before he could deepen it. Only if she could stay in bed and spend the morning with this amazing man…

"You know you could always join me in the shower."

Rick Castle eyed the gorgeous woman standing by the side of their bed, wrapped in a sheet and smiling seductively. His eyes went wide when she let the sheet fall to the floor, waited for a moment and turned around to head to the bathroom.

He pushed his comforter away hastily and almost ran after her, eager to reach the shower before the door closed.

He smiled to himself. He was indeed a lucky man.

_A/N: Here I am, trying to write something completely different from my usual. The idea for this story crept into my brain and wouldn't leave me alone. So I decided to write it. If the beginning is creepy, I'm sorry but I wanted it to be exactly that way. This nameless character in the story is going to be dark._

_Your feedback is very important to me. I'll continue with this story only if you read it. Please let me know if this has any potential to be a good story. The blue review link below is begging you ;)_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle. Isn't that obvious?**_


	2. Chapter 2

The crime scene was a park.

The air was chilly and there was hardly any daylight. Though it was spring and winter had released New York from its deadly cold grip, the morning was still cold and hazy with fog. The park was quiet and almost empty, except for the corner where a medical examiner, two detectives, a few CSU officials and uniforms were huddled near the victim by the pool side.

Kate jogged towards the small crowd with Rick in tow. They had taken ten minutes more than they actually needed to reach the place, thanks to an elaborate shower where they had meticulously washed each other's bodies.

"Lanie, what've we got?"

"Detective Beckett! Glad to see you finally made it!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Stop the drama, Lanie. We're just ten minutes late!"

"And why is that, detective? Were you trapped in the shower, waiting to be rescued by a knight?" Sarcasm dripped from Lanie's voice while a playful smirk played on her lips.

"Ha! Like she needs to be rescued! She was taming the knight." Castle couldn't help but join the conversation, still standing behind his wife.

"Castle bro, we don't need to hear about your sexcapades," Esposito joined them back after scanning the vicinity briefly.

"Then tell your fiancé to stop asking," Castle replied, sagely.

Before anyone could say anything more, Kate cleared her throat loudly and asked again, "Guys, what do we have here?

"Victim is a Caucasian, female, 18 year old, name is Rebecca Hawkins, goes to York Academy… As you can see, she's still in her school uniform. Her school id was in her pocket."

"Another rich kid!" Ryan piped in.

Lanie nodded and went on, "COD is multiple gunshot wounds to the chest. Judging by the size of the wound, I'd say the weapon is a large caliber… a .38 or a .45."

"Time of Death?" Kate prodded.

"Based on lividity and body temperature, I'm guessing the time of death to be approximately three to four hours back. I need to take the body back to the lab to be more specific."

"Sure. Ryan, Esposito, anything?"

Esposito answered first, "Nada… no one seems to have seen or heard anything."

"I may have something. See that bench over there? There's a huge pool of blood below it. Looks like she was shot there and left to bleed to death before being dropped off by the pool…" Ryan trailed off as Kate hurried to the bench to inspect the scene herself.

Ryan was right. It was indeed a huge pool of blood, now dried and caked to the ground.

"So our victim is sitting here. Someone comes up to her and shoots her in the chest. She falls to the ground, bleeding. The killer waits until she bleeds out and then carries her to the pool side and dumps her body."

"Why 'carries'? Why not 'drags'?" Ryan asked, intrigued.

"Because then there'd be marks on the ground and grass on her clothes." Castle answered before Kate could.

Ryan nods, visibly impressed by the 'story'.

Kate starts again, "Okay guys, let's head back to the precinct while the CSU completes the sweep. Contact the parents and ask them to come down to the precinct. Contact the school and gather everything you can on this girl. We need to know what she was doing in her school uniform at such an odd time in the park."

Kate and Rick walked to their car in silence. Once inside, Kate paused for a moment before putting the keys in ignition.

Rick was unusually quiet. She reached across to him and took his hand.

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…"

"Reminds you of Alexis?"

"Well, yeah, there's that. But I wasn't thinking about that…"

"Then?" Kate egged on.

"This crime scene… I don't know why, I had a strange kind of a déjà vu, you know…"

Kate frowned. Rick needed to explain.

"Rick kid, private school, killed in the park at night, body dragged off… kinda rings a bell, doesn't it?"

"You mean that case years ago about the Redding Kid?" Kate couldn't help but smile, despite the circumstances. It was the third case they had ever worked together.

"You remember?" The shadow on Rick's face was slowly subsiding.

"Of course, Richard Castle. You annoyed the hell out of me… How could I possibly forget?"

"Come on, Detective Beckett, we've worked hundreds of cases together! And I annoy the hell out of you everyday…"

"Well, okay, I twisted your ear for the first time!" Kate laughed musically.

"Ouch, painful memories," Rick pretended to shudder but couldn't stop the reminiscent smile from lighting up his face.

Kate sighed. It was not the first time that she was suddenly struck by how handsome Rick Castle was. She was aware of his charm and rugged features a long time before she met him. When she met him, she realized why women were crazy about him. Over the years, she had the pleasure of knowing Rick for the beautiful man that he was. And now, she was his wife. She was married to the famous novelist, her favorite author. Even after a year, it felt so unreal.

She was brought out of her reverie when Rick spoke, "Kate, as much as I love sitting here beside you in silence, we've to get to the Precinct."

"Yeah, Precinct, right…."

Kate took another moment to clear her head before she twisted the ignition key. The engine roared to life.

(….)

He watched them.

He saw her jog to the poolside, that worthless ball and chain by her side. He watched as the guys engaged themselves in what seemed to be a friendly banter of sorts. He watched her sexy ass as she bent over the victim. _His_ victim. He watched that smug jackass playing cop.

His nostrils flared in anger as he remembered how they had tricked him; how they had made him admit his guilt.

He had gotten away… almost, before she had played spoilsport with her knowledge on technology. She was smart but also, he was young then, he was naïve. He was hardly a man… But he is a man now. He is smarter, cleverer, more deadly. This time he wouldn't make a mistake.

"_I confess… that I'm dying to cop a feel under your cop blouse. There. Now I feel so much better."_

As he remembered the events that had happened six years earlier, he felt himself getting hard. Again.

He remembered the tall and slender detective walking in…. How excitement had coursed through his young body which was just shy of eighteen…. That's why he had made the mistake; he'd been distracted, that's why he had been struck out.

No, this time he would play it right. This time, he had set the field according to his own plans.

She was smart but he was smarter. It was only fair that he should give her a warning of sorts. This body was just that… a warning. Was she smart enough to recognize it? This was going to be an interesting game.

This time he would win.

_A/N: So, I started the case in this chapter. I think you've already guessed who this freaky dude is. The 'why's and 'how's will be answered in later chapters. Honestly, he was the first creepy murderer in Castle. At least, I think so. Let me know what you think _

_Also, I tried to keep the conversations as real as possible. As you have noticed, our beloved duo are already married. So we can't expect them to behave exactly the way they behave on the show. Just let me know if it was believable. _

_Thank you for reviewing Chapter 1. They made a quick upload of Chapter 2 possible _

_**Disclaimer: Are these disclaimers really necessary? **_


	3. Chapter 3

_He walked through the wrought iron gates of the youth detention centre, escorted by two stout uniforms on either side._

_He had left his speechless dad and sobbing mom behind… He didn't care. They never knew how to handle life. They were weak. Just like Donny…Just like Amanda… Just like Spencer and Romy… Gee, the world's full of weak people. But he's not weak. The world would be at his feet one day, begging for mercy. Whores like Amanda and a thousand more would die to sleep with him. He'd play with all the weak morons… They bored him anyway. They never excited him… Smart, confident and strong people excited him… Women like that sexy detective. He wondered briefly what she'd be like in bed. He'd like to see her fight for dominance, he'd like to see the look on her face when he impaled her with his cock. He could picture that gorgeous brunette on a bed, naked and restrained by her own handcuffs… How'd she look when in pain, he wondered._

_He looked at the building in front of him… This would be his home for the next few months until he turned eighteen. At eighteen, he would be handed over to state prison. He didn't care. He was man enough to withstand anything. This was an adventure. He was excited. He was not afraid._

_His hands were shaking. His knees felt weak. His throat was dry. His heart was racing. His face was a mask._

_No, he was not afraid._

_He entered the hall lined with the other inmates who were dressed in grey jumpsuits just as he was. _

_This was just like school. He could handle them. He needed to be clever. He'd keep quiet and manipulate them, until he was their leader. Then he'd command them._

_It was night. The hall lights had been put off by the warden an hour ago._

_Suddenly he felt a bright light shine on his face. He opened his eyes to see six faces staring down at him… He recognized them from the hall. They were the inmates. _

"_Another rich bitch! Hey noob! Get the fuck up!"_

_He could feel white hot anger rising inside him. Who the hell were they, talking to him like that?_

"_Yo motherfucker, are ya deaf?" Someone shouted, painfully close to his ears._

_Before he could react, he felt himself yanked out of his cot. He fell unceremoniously._

"_Who are ya an' why're ya in?"_

_Anger had erased all his plans. Soon he felt a painful kick connect to his ribs. "Fuck you," he spat out._

_Suddenly the largest among them stood in front of him and smirked. "Oh, I know who he is. He's new meat." _

_They all laughed out loud. _

_He could hear their excited laughter as he was jostled. He felt his drawstrings being pulled apart. He felt being exposed but he could hardly do anything. They were too strong. _

_Then he felt the pain searing through his body. The more he struggled, the more he felt the pain. He heard as their taunts and laughter were drowned by his own painful shriek._

His eyes flew open. He was breathing heavily and he could feel the sweat on his forehead. But he didn't move, he didn't flinch. Five years in confinement had taught him that… not to react to his nightmares, not to show his hand to the other people in the room, not to show his weakness. Though he was alone in his own room now, he didn't move until his breathing became steady.

"I am invincible," he muttered to himself. He hated what he was feeling right now. He hated feeling vulnerable. He hated nightmares. He hated when his past visited him in his nightmares.

That bitch…..

The anger bottled inside him bubbled up suddenly and he sat up. He felt feverish and restless. He needed to find a way of venting this anger before he ran out of the room and did something stupid.

He stood up and walked across the room slowly, in calculated steps. He reached out for the cage by the window. He opened the cage door with utmost care and introduced his hand patiently. As soon as the silent bird inside was within his reach, he lifted a finger and caressed its feathered neck gently. The canary cooed in a hushed pitch before shifting itself towards the warmth of its master's hand. He waited until the little bird had settled comfortably against his palm…. And then he closed his fingers around it in a vice grip. He watched as his pet struggled to breathe, his face expressionless.

As the bird's eyes bulged out and beaks parted in its final attempt at cheating death, his face broke into a sardonic smile.

_Yes, the bitch would pay…_

(…)

Detective Kate Beckett stood up straight as she finished setting up the murder board and reached for the coffee sitting on her desk. She craned her neck to catch a glimpse of Castle, who was pacing in the break room while talking to his… _their…_ daughter on the phone.

"Is she okay?" She asked, smiling affectionately at the doting father when he walked back to her.

"Yeah. She's unhappy that I foiled her attempt at sleeping in…"

"Ah, she'll be fine, Rick! Don't worry."

Rick nodded and pointed to the white board in front of them. "Any progress?"

Before she could reply, Esposito called out from his desk, "Yo! Check this out, Beckett!"

Both Beckett and Castle hastened towards Esposito's desk.

"There're two Rebecca Hawkins enrolled currently at the York Academy… and guess what? Both of them are safe in their homes."

Kate frowned. "You mean, our victim doesn't go to York?"

"Either she doesn't go to York or her name is not Rebecca Hawkins."

"That's odd…"

"An eighteen year old girl, murdered in a park in the middle of the night, dressed in a uniform of a school she doesn't attend, carrying an id which is not hers. This doesn't make any sense…." Castle trailed off and then suddenly sat upright, "unless…."

"Unless what? And don't suggest that she's a spy of some sort."

"No detective, she's not a spy. She was role playing."

"She what?" Kate, Esposito and Ryan asked simultaneously.

"She was role playing," Castle repeated with his trademark "eureka" moment smile. "She was pretending to be a schoolgirl."

"An eighteen year old girl in a park at midnight in this weather, role playing…. And I thought your CIA theories were the craziest!" Kate rolled her hazel eyes, not bothering to suppress her amused smile.

"Detective, I'll let you know…." He was interrupted by shrill ring of Kate's deskphone.

"Beckett… Yeah, okay… see you in a minute." She hung up the phone and turned to Castle, "That was Lanie. She says she found something that we should see."

(...)

"Hey Lanie, what did you find?"

"A lot of things, actually." Lanie answered while still covering the body with a sheet. Kate and Rick stood on the opposite side of the marble slab.

"First of all, she's not who we thought she is."

"We know…" Castle started but stopped abruptly when Lanie glared at him, obviously unhappy with the interruption.

"While examining the body, I found signs indicating this girl was habituated to sexual intercourse on a regular basis. In fact, she had sex within an hour before her death."

"Do we have DNA sample or anything?"

"No. No semen or cells. The guy must've worn a condom. There're trace amounts of spermicide present in her vagina."

"Anything else?"

"Of course, I said I had a lot of things to show you, didn't I? Look at the girl's wrists."

"Bruises…" Castle observed, bent down over the body.

"Handcuff marks," Beckett commented.

"Gold stars to you both," Lanie smiled like a teacher proud of her students. "I'm guessing the girl was restrained using handcuffs and at some point, she struggled against those restraints, probably during the intercourse. There is also evidence to suggest that excessive force was used on her."

"You mean she was raped?" Beckett asked.

"Not actually. I'm guessing that it all started out as fun and light bondage before the guy decided to get rough on her."

"Okay…" Beckett drew out the word.

"When I realized that this girl is probably not a student, I took her fingerprints and did a database search. She's Rebecca Hawkins alright but a twenty one year old hooker. Her prints are in the system because vice arrested her a year ago on charges of possession."

"Hooker! Did anyone say hooker? Role playing! Tell me I was right, my dear detective." Castle was almost dancing in the morgue.

"Get your husband out of my lab before I decide to add him as my patient."

Kate shook her head, grabbed him by his hand and dragged him out of the room. "Thanks, Lanie," she said loudly over her shoulder.

As they walked to the elevator, Castle was almost prancing down the corridor. This was the first time since their crime scene when Castle was finally being himself. Kate didn't have the heart to stop him. Nevertheless she called out, "Castle, focus!"

"I was right! I was right! Tell me dear detective, I was right!" His voice was sing-song.

As the elevator opened and Castle hopped inside, Kate answered from behind, "Aren't you always?"

As Castle turned around and threw a lopsided smile in her direction, she almost melted. She hurried inside the elevator, not breaking the eye contact with him. As the doors closed, she leaned into her husband and placed her lips on his. She melted further when she felt his arms around her waist, drawing her into him. His leg slipped in between hers and she gasped when his thigh brushed against her rapidly heating centre.

The ding of the elevator reminded them where they were and they parted reluctantly. Both of them were breathing heavily. As they walked into the bullpen and gathered themselves, they found Ryan standing in front of them awkwardly. Clearly, he had an idea about what was going on.

"Uhh… I smell dead bodies," Ryan offered, breaking the silence. While the boys often teased the couple, they knew better than to joke when they were actually hot and bothered.

"So you're finally aware of your body odor," Castle countered.

Ryan shrugged as he made his way past them. "Maybe I shouldn't have tried to help you guys."

Kate smiled and winked at her colleague who was more like a brother to her.

When she returned her gaze to Castle, he was already composed. She watched as he leaned casually to her side and whispered in her ears, "Tonight." Oh, that voice! He straightened even as a fresh wave of desire washed through her body and strode farther into the bullpen confidently.

Oh yes, tonight! Definitely tonight!

_A/N: hmmm…. What do you think? _

_Also, I am aware that many of you are concerned about the rape warning in the beginning. Let me assure you, nothing bad will happen to Kate. Or Castle. Or the boys. Or Lanie… but specifically Kate, because I'm in love with her ;) She may be injured. She may end up in the hospital (I AM NOT TALKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THIS STORY) but rape? Or death? Noooooooooo…. It just cannot happen. It'll be like hurting myself! Oh, now you're probably freaked out about my mental health :P _

_On a separate note, if anyone is still unfamiliar with the villain, I suggest her/him to watch episode 1.03 (Hedge Fund Homeboys)._

_Thanks again for your response! I decided to dish out this chapter today only because you guys have been so generous with your reviews. Don't forget to click on the blue link this time!_

_**Disclaimer: If Castle were mine, Caskett would've been in a relationship by now! :D**_


	4. Chapter 4

He sat at the bar, brooding and looking into his drink. He was dressed in a plain white shirt and jeans, a jacket casually thrown over his shoulder. It's not that he couldn't afford to dress flashy. He would not dress flashy. He didn't need to stand out in the crowd, not for his dress anyway. The only thing flashy was inside his skull. He was smart, smarter than the rest.

He didn't check out the girls. Nor did he attempt to pick up the girls with ridiculously corny lines. He sat there with a pensive expression on his face. He was confident about his 'emo-boy' looks and he had something cool about his personality that drew women to him… like moths to a flame, he thought idly. He knew they would approach him soon. Then he'd pick his prey for the night.

So he sat there, nursing his only glass of scotch. He seldom drank, he never smoked and he never used drugs. He sold out drugs occasionally but never used himself… not since his arrest. Those are the things that make people dull. Who would he be if someone took away his intelligence? He couldn't afford to lose the thing he boasted about.

He sat there like a fat spider at the centre of a giant web waiting for the first fly to entangle itself. It happened soon.

He felt a movement beside him and looked up from his drink. A woman was standing beside him. She was a brunette who wore high heels. _Just like her._ She was smiling at him. He raised his eyes further and looked into her eyes. Her eyes were green. _Just like her. _He assessed her with his cold steel grey eyes. She was already tipsy. He smiled shyly… just the smile that would make all women go 'awwww'.

Maybe this was kismet. _She was the perfect prey._

"Hi! Is this seat taken?" The woman smiled what she must have thought was a sexy smile.

"Nope." He didn't say anything but smiled.

"Mind if I join?"

"Please do." He was polite.

"I'm Nichole. You can call me Nikki." _Could it get any more perfect?_

"I'm Donny." _Yes, 'Donny' will do. She'll be joining Donny soon anyway._

"So Donny, what do you do?"

"I... I help people…." _… out of their miserable lives. _"What do you do, Nikki?"

"I'm a law student… at NYU." _Oh yes, it can get more perfect._

Anger flashed through him. He took a sip of his drink to compose himself. "So you're smart," he smiled his most charming smile. It must've worked because Nikki looked flustered. A blush had started on her cheeks. He proceeded to go for the kill. He leaned to her ears and whispered huskily, "Smart women turn me on."

He leaned back to his original position and smiled. _At least that wasn't a lie… though he wasn't sure if this Nikki was smart._

Nikki was already hyperventilating and drained her glass quickly. He signaled the barman to fill up her glass again.

He listened to her mindless chatter patiently, feigning interest as she drained a few more rounds of shots. He was sure Nikki wasn't smart. He was getting bored but he knew that he'd be rewarded in the next few hours. He pictured himself as a predator circling his prey.

When he felt that Nikki was drunk enough, he made his move. He didn't want her to pass out. He wanted to see the fear in her eyes.

"So Nikki, it was nice meeting you."

"Whoa? No! Don't go! We're just getting started." Her speech slurred. _Boy, she's really drunk._

"Do you want to take this to someplace else?"

"Yessssssssssssssssss!" She giggled.

"My place?" He winked and smiled.

"Yup! Sure!"

He led her out of the bar and strode to the Porsche that was parked a few blocks away. It was not in his name but for all practical purposes, he owned it.

"Porsche! You're rich!" The drunken woman gushed as she hung onto his arm.

He said nothing. Yes, he had money. Craploads of money. That's the only thing his father ever gave him. _Thank you, son of a bitch. _

He drove quietly to his place, parking the car near the back alley. He guided Nikki out of the car and supported her to the alley. Then he lifted her in his arms and walked to the backdoor of his place. A loud giggle escaped from Nikki's lips.

As soon as he entered, he placed Nikki on her feet and closed the door… closed the deadbolt.

"Where's the bedroom, babyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?" Nikki asked in a sing-song voice and giggled again.

He just smiled. He took her by the hand and led her to the basement. She didn't seem to notice.

They entered the dimly lit basement. Without thinking, Nikki strode, or rather stumbled, to the centre of the room where there was a cot. He didn't follow her immediately. Instead, he went to the corner table where he kept all his equipments… his toys to play with.

Under the bright light from the bulb hanging from the centre of the ceiling, she blinked twice, confused.

"Donny?"

A gloved hand suddenly grabbed her hair forcefully and yanked her down on the cot. Before she could realize what was going on, she found her wrists restrained to the head rail. As she struggled against her binding, she felt the cool metal of the handcuffs cut into her wrists.

"Donny, we didn't talk about this… I'm not into this bondage stuff… I…" Her frantic pleas fell silent when he forced a ball gag into her mouth.

"The thing I hate the most about lawyers is that they talk too much." His voice was icy and he felt her shiver. This was going to be fun.

With one swift motion, he ripped open the flimsy dress that she was wearing. Nikki's naked body was immediately revealed. Apparently, she had not felt the need for underwear this evening. His eyes glazed over as his primal instincts took control over his body. He didn't take more than a moment to reach the same state of undress himself.

"No underwear? You're a dirty woman." He closed his eyes as he lowered himself on her. "You're a dirty woman, Detective Beckett."

He didn't notice as Nikki's eyes went wide, nor did he care…

One of his hands slipped into her brunette hair and gripped tufts of her hair, painfully tight. He introduced the other hand abruptly into her vagina. She was dry.

"Not turned on, huh? Wait… you'll be. I'm so turned on. Do you feel it?" He asked as he vigorously rubbed his erect penis on her thigh… His fingers were still inside her, jamming her roughly. He pinched her clit mercilessly. Her body started to lubricate itself slowly but it was more an attempt at sustaining itself than arousal.

He withdrew his hand as soon as he felt her getting wet. Instead he grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed it hard… as hard as a frantic would squeeze a stress ball. She screamed despite her ball gag.

He looked up and saw tears streaming down. It only angered him. Tears always angered him. Tears were a sign of weakness. He hated tears. He hated those who shed tears. His gloved hands dug deep into the soft skin of her breast and she arched her back up in pain.

"Don't dare to cry, Beckett. Remember what you did to me?"

Nikki was frantically shaking her head and trying to say something. Her drunken stupor had since long left her and the adrenalin pumping through her panic-stricken body only served to heighten her senses.

"Don't try to deny it." He barked and swung his gloved fist forcefully. It connected with her jaw and a sickening crack echoed through the basement.

Nikki groaned. Her eyes rolled back to the back of her head. He waited for a moment to see if she'd passed out. She hadn't. Good.

He grabbed her thighs crudely and parted them forcefully before shoving himself in. He felt how her vaginal muscles tightened involuntarily against his intruding cock. He loved this feeling. He savored it. He savored the fact that this contraction had nothing to do with _her _pleasure.

He pumped vehemently inside her, making sure to bruise every inch inside her. His actions caused pain to himself too but he loved this kind of pain. He loved how mildly sore his shaft would be the next day. It brought to him a sense of accomplishment.

His hands grabbed both her breasts and squeezed hard until his biceps bulged out. He was sure that had he not soundproofed his basement, her screams could've been heard from the moon. He laughed out loud at the thought.

He could feel the tightening of his loins. His release was close. When he felt himself tethering over the edge, he punched "Detective Beckett" hard in her ribs. As another muffled scream filled the basement, he came.

He withdrew himself and removed the condom carefully before disposing it off. He couldn't afford to leave any trace of semen behind… just as he could not use his bare hands on this slut although he wanted to. He had to hold back his urge to bite her skin because he couldn't leave his dental marks behind. He had to take care of so many things but at the end of the day, it was worth.

After wiping himself clean, he walked back to the supine woman. She was broken. He could see it in her wet green eyes. It was not the exact shade of green as _hers_… Beckett's eyes were hazel. He remembered how she had glanced at him while testifying in court… _against him._

The bruised and broken woman stared at him, her eyes wide in fear. He started whistling playfully while removing her ball and gag.

"You're not as smart as you think… you know…. Didn't mommy teach you not to talk to strangers?" His voice was amused.

A sob escaped her lips as she pleaded, "Please, let me go."

He smiled again. "Of course, I won't keep you here forever."

He retreated again and this time when he came forward, he had a gun in his hand. Nikki's heart started skipping when she realized what was about to happen.

"Please, don't kill me. Please. I did nothing to you… Please… No, please…"

He watched her plead with a smug smile and expressionless eyes.

"Justice is served, Detective Beckett."

A loud gunshot shook the soundproof walls.

(….)

After staring at the murder board for the past three hours, Kate flopped back on her chair and sighed. Her day had started at 4.30 am and it was close to eight in the evening and her case was heading nowhere. There were no witnesses, no next of the kin to notify, no colleague to interrogate. Rebecca was a part of an online prostitution service which was run anonymously, so no pimp to question either. There were too many different fingerprints on her body to be useful. There was nothing special in the ballistics report. They had managed to trace a drug dealer who dealt with Rebecca but he was in the wind. There was an APB out on him and nothing had shown up yet.

Every avenue was closing up. Every alley led to a dead end. This case was crumbling right in front of her eyes.

As she massaged her fingers over her temple, she felt her husband place a mug of steaming coffee on her desk. As soon as the rich aroma filtered through her nostrils, her eyes opened.

Castle sat down on his chair by her desk and nudged the mug closer to her. She gratefully grabbed the mug and took in a sip, savoring the rich taste as the much needed caffeine made way into her system. She smiled at Castle gratefully.

"Thanks, Rick."

"Just fulfilling my marriage vows."

Kate looked at him questioningly. Castle elaborated, "I vowed to provide for everything you need. Right now, you need coffee."

Kate chuckled and slapped his thigh playfully. They sat in silence until Kate finished her coffee.

"Detective Beckett, in my office, now." The Captain retreated to her office as soon as the order left her lips.

"What does she want now?" Castle stage whispered.

Kate shrugged, "She's your girlfriend. You tell me." Rick pretended to retch.

When the captain had first joined the 12th Precinct, she'd kicked Castle out without a preamble. But Castle was Castle; a gum stuck in hair, impossible to get rid of. He weaseled his way back, thanks to the Mayor. But the situation between them had always been tense… Not because she hated Castle but because being methodical, she'd felt that a civilian had no place in a precinct. All of this changed when her own son had been kidnapped by a serial killer. Castle had acted on a whim, against orders and in the process, saved the kid. Since then, Captain Gates had been obliged to him. Not that she swooned over his detecting skills in the middle of the Precinct but she became more tolerant. Kate often joked that Gates had fallen in love with him… a thought that both amused and terrified the writer.

Castle's chain of thought was broken by Kate's click of heels as she came out of the Captains office. He looked at her.

"We've just been kicked out of the Precinct for the day."

"That's great!" Rick started and stopped abruptly when he found the detective frowning.

"Castle, a girl is dead." She had called him Castle… Uh oh. When Kate called him Castle, it either meant that she was in a playful mood or that she was super annoyed. He was sure a stint in the Captain's office could not have put Kate Beckett in a playful mood.

"I know, Kate. And you're doing everything you can to catch the killer. Just give it some time, okay? We'll come back tomorrow with fresh eyes and you'll crack it wide open."

"Okay, Dr. Phil. Let's go."

(…)

Castle opened the door to the loft and waited for his wife to enter before closing it. He shrugged his jacket off while Kate kicked off her heels and groaned.

"Those fine heels taking a toll on your feet?"

Kate nodded and sighed. She's been sighing a lot today, she noticed. As she walked to the refrigerator for a water bottle, she noticed a stick-it note from Alexis. "_Going out with friends. Will be back before midnight."_

"From Alexis?" Rick was standing behind her.

"Yeah, she's out with friends. She'll be back before midnight."

"Hmmm…."

"What?" She dodged Castle and went to the couch after picking up the Styrofoam box of Thai food that they had picked on their way back.

"Kate, Alexis does talk to you about boyfriend and stuff, right?"

"Yes, she does… And no, I'll not tell you about them. She trusts me." Kate would never break that girl's trust. Alexis considered Kate as her best friend. Kate would never admit it out loud but she enjoyed being friends with her stepdaughter. Alexis was smart, mature and the perfect person to have a girl talk with.

"Just tell me this, do I have anything to be worried about?"

Kate was about to joke but the sincere pleading in Castle's voice changed her mind. "No Rick, you've raised a wonderful daughter. She's the most mature young adult I've ever seen. Besides, I care for her too, you know."

Rick breathed out a sigh as he dropped on the couch, next to Kate.

"I know. I know you care about her and I know how lucky I'm to have you here for her… for me."

"Hey, I'm the one who's lucky. I was drowning and you saved me." Kate leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes. After a moment of contended silence she straightened up and looked at him. "Anyway, is this about the case?"

"No… Yeah… I don't know…" Rick closed his eyes briefly before opening them. "Kate, that girl was a year younger than Alexis. She was a hooker, she used drugs and now she's dead. Just pokes me in the eye about what could've been… About how stupid and lucky I was, raising my baby girl alone…"

"Hey…" Kate placed a finger over his lips, cutting him off. "Don't worry about what could've been. The truth is Alexis is an incredibly good girl. She's now studying law and a few years later, she'll be helping the city in putting away the criminals. Don't let this get to you, Rick. You're a good man and a good father. I swear, you don't have to worry about her." She rubbed her thumb across his forehead, trying to iron away the frown between his brows.

Rick looked at Kate and suddenly wondered what he'd done in his lifetime to deserve someone as wonderful as Katherine Beckett as his wife. He leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips before pulling back.

"Finish your food, detective."

They smiled at each other before digging into their respective cartons of food.

Though both of them were silent, they were thinking the same thing. In the middle of all the mishaps, murders and mayhem that shook New York City, they had somehow managed to set up a sweet little world of their own. Nothing shook it since the time when Johanna Beckett's killer was finally brought to justice.

This world was their refuge. This was their source of tranquility amidst all the madness of real world. It was their rainbow in the dark.

They were lucky indeed.

_A/N: Okay, I confess I got a bit carried away. Actually, after writing the first part I felt kinda gloomy. So I had to write the second part to ease my heart. This is a super long chapter. I hope you like it_

_As usual, you guys are awesome with the reviews. I dedicate the chapter to **gloriajv, crazy4castle, Persephone SylviaMoon, jennifergarnerfan, docvap, Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky, phnxgrl, jamiechen, emholland1 and all the people who have added this story as favorite or in story alert. **You are the guys whose reviews are inspiring me to write a chapter a day. So, thank you :)_

**_Disclaimer: I'm a 24 year old woman who doesn't live in the US and whose first language is not English. I don't think anyone can confuse me with Andrew Marlowe._**


	5. Chapter 5

She didn't know what woke her up.

She turned to look at the alarm clock. It was 5.26 am. There were 34 minutes left before the alarm would go off.

She turned to the other side to steal a glance at her sleeping husband. Kate loved watching Rick sleep. He looked so peaceful, so contended. She observed the few crinkles that rose from the corner of his eye and diverged, ultimately fading on the way to his temple. She remembered how these crinkles were accentuated when he laughed.

At the moment, he looked like a little boy. His messed up dark hair stood out against the white pillows. His lips were slightly parted and there was slight drooling along the corner of his mouth.

This is what the real Richard Castle looked like. This was the man she was in love with.

She smiled. As she shifted, she felt his arm around her waist tighten possessively. She lifted his arm gently and shifted further, careful not to wake him up. After she reached the edge of the bed, she slipped out after placing his arm over the sheets. She stood there and watched as Rick shifted in his sleep as he subconsciously felt Kate's absence. She bent forward and lightly brushed the lock of hair that had fallen over his eye. Warmth spread through her body that had nothing to do with arousal. Her heart painfully clenched although she knew that there was nothing to be sad of.

So this was how being in love felt.

She kissed his forehead slightly and stood up. She stretched as she padded to the bathroom. Her body felt sore, part of which might have been due to the activities they had indulged in last night… or until midnight, when Alexis returned, just like any other Saturday. Alexis would always return home at the stroke of midnight… not a moment earlier or later. That's when their 'extracurricular activities' had to stop. It wasn't that Alexis didn't know they had sex. She was twenty-two, for God's sake; of course she knew. That didn't mean that they would behave inappropriately in front of her. After all, Alexis had to pass in front of their bedroom on her way upstairs. So the chime of midnight capped it all.

Castle had a name for it… "The Cinderella Situation."

Kate snorted. Of course he would come up with a strange name… ridiculous man! Her ridiculous man.

After fifteen minutes, Kate padded out of the bathroom, all freshened up. She slipped into a pair of yoga pants and one of Castle's shirts. She loved to be in his shirts in the morning. She loved the smell of Castle's ridiculously expensive cologne that surrounded her whenever she wore his shirt. It gave her a sense of belonging. Those pieces of fabrics gave her a sense of belonging that the rock sitting on her left ring finger couldn't. It was weird, she knew but she couldn't help it.

She walked out of the bedroom and headed towards the kitchen. She stopped when she found Alexis sitting by the kitchen counter. It was surprising that Alexis was up so early on a Sunday morning. It was not even six and she'd returned home after midnight. She started to greet her but stopped when she noticed her sitting motionlessly, staring at the screen of her phone, her left hand clutching a half eaten apple.

"Hey Alexis! You're up early." Kate started softly, not wanting to startle her.

"Kate, good morning." She noted that the usual cheer was missing from Alexis' voice.

"Looks like you didn't sleep last night."

"I didn't."

"What's wrong?" Kate was concerned.

"Well…," Alexis started but trailed off. "It's nothing probably."

Kate walked up to Alexis, drew up a stool and sat on it, facing Alexis. "If something is keeping you awake the whole night, it's not nothing, Alexis."

Alexis attempted to smile at Kate but didn't succeed well.

"Alexis?" Kate prodded again.

"Well… as I said, it's probably nothing."

"It's better to tell me about this 'nothing' before it turns into 'something', Alexis."

"Look, I don't want to bother you…" She stopped again she took in the look on Kate's face. She sighed and shrugged. "One of my friends might be missing, Kate."

Kate furrowed her brows as she took in this piece of information, thinking it over. She nodded to Alexis signaling her to continue.

"Remember the girl you met the last time you dropped by the campus?"

"Yeah, your friend, what was her name… Nichole, right?"

"Wow, you remember her name!" Alexis marveled for a moment before returning to the conversation. "Anyway, she's gone AWOL apparently."

"How so?" Beckett had involuntarily transformed into a cop.

"Well, we were supposed to go out together, as a group. Nichole was supposed to come but she didn't show up. She often hits the bars in the evenings, you know, get a bit buzzed up and a good fu… get laid, you know…" Kate could tell Alexis was getting embarrassed.

"I know, Alexis," Kate supplied helpfully. "Then?"

"Well, that's not unusual but she always turns up. She's sometimes late but she turns up… like always. Last night she didn't. We called her on her cell phone. No one picked up. That's impossible, Kate. That girl is inseparable from her phone. She'll pick up her phone even when her boyfriend is… whatever, the point is she didn't turn up, she didn't return to her dorm room last night and she isn't picking up her phone." Alexis halted to an abrupt stop after all the words rushed out of her mouth.

Kate took in a deep breath. Her cop senses told her that this didn't look good but she didn't want to worry Alexis.

"Okay…" Kate started building theories in her head. At least, that was a familiar territory. "Maybe she went to the bar, got drunk, picked up a guy and went to his place where she passed out. She's probably dropped her phone somewhere and she'll probably call you back once she gets over her killer hangover."

"I hope so," Alexis took in a deep breath.

"You don't sound convinced," Kate observed.

"It's just… it's just this feeling, Kate. I know it sounds ridiculous but I just have this feeling that something has gone wrong… I know I probably sound crazy but…"

"It's okay, Alexis. It's not crazy. You're worrying for your friend. Tell you what, why don't you try and relax after breakfast. If she's still AWOL today, I'll see what I can do…"

"Really Kate, you don't need to…."

Kate cut her off. "That's what friends are for, right?"

Alexis' heart swelled as she realized what Kate meant. To a casual bystander, it'd appear that Kate was referring to Alexis and her friend but the look in Kate's eyes told a different story. Alexis never thought she'd consider her stepmother as her best friend one day… and she'd had a stepmother before and plenty of almost stepmothers. Kate Beckett was the best thing that happened to her, besides her dad, grams and Ashley.

She jerked back to reality as her father's voice boomed through the kitchen, "Good morning ladies! Are my two favorite women conspiring against me behind my back?"

"Yes Castle, we're conspiring about how to rid you of your constant chatter for more than five minutes." Kate smiled playfully while Alexis grinned.

Castle pretended to be shocked. "Detective! You're trying to steal my superpower! And our daughter is your partner in crime?"

_Our daughter. _The expression escaped neither Kate nor Alexis but both of them just nodded. Alexis loved the expression. She'd never heard her father use the term before he married Kate; not even with Gina. Not even with Meredith, coming to think of it… at least not in front of her... and Meredith was her actual mother. Well, Kate _was_ different.

For the next few minutes they chewed on their breakfast in silence, broken occasionally by a few jokes or playful retorts and the sound of laughter.

The feeling of peace was broken when Kate's phone rang.

"Beckett… oh! But we already have a case… oh? Okay. Where?" Beckett shuffled closer as Alexis offered her a pencil and a notepad. Kate hastily scribbled down the address. "Okay Ryan, see you in a few."

"There's been another murder?" Rick asked, interest rising.

"Yeah… Preliminary reports suggest that this might be related to our case."

"Okay, let's get ready… Alexis, we've to leave, pumpkin!"

"I know, dad! I've been sitting here the whole time, remember?" Alexis rolled her blue eyes in a fashion that reminded Rick of a pair of honey-green eyes.

Rick smiled and winked at Alexis and hurried to his bedroom to get ready.

By the time he emerged from his bedroom, Kate was clipping her weapon holster to her belt.

After a kiss and a hug to their daughter, Castle and Beckett left.

(…..)

When they pulled over at their destination, Rick looked in front of him through the windshield.

"I can see the similarities already." He offered.

They had pulled up in front of a park.

As Kate walked up to the scene, she'd a strange heaviness settle in the pit of her stomach. She prepared herself like she always did.

But she wasn't prepared for what she saw.

The naked body and the vacant stare of the emerald green eyes were the first thing that registered in her mind… followed by the face… the familiar face of the person she'd talked about this morning.

Nichole Jones.

Beckett suddenly felt dizzy and reached out to Castle for support.

"Hey you okay?" Castle, who'd never met Nichole, was blissfully unaware of the situation.

When she nodded yes, Lanie took it as a cue to start her description. "Caucasian female, age between eighteen and twenty five; was found lying in the park by morning walkers about half an hour ago. Single GSW to the chest. Wide bore gun. Signs of sexual assault. Judging by the body temperature, lividity and stage of rigor mortis, I'd say she's been killed sometime late last evening. She was shot somewhere else and dumped here later, judging by the blood trails. She didn't have a stitch of clothing on her body, let alone an ID…"

"I know who she is," Kate finally spoke.

All eyes travelled to Beckett and settled on her.

"You know her?" Rick's voice was curious.

"Yes, she's Nichole… Alexis' friend. I met her last month when I visited the NYU campus with Alexis." Kate's voice was quiet. She hated seeing dead bodies. But there's one thing she hated more… Seeing known faces staring lifelessly after crossing the yellow tape.

"Oh My God!" Rick's gasp jerked her back to the present.

"Rick, you should sit this one out." Kate's voice was strong.

"Are you crazy? This case is too close to home."

"Exactly. That's why you need to stay out. Alexis was worrying about her this morning…"

"Shit!"

"…. And you need to be there for her when she breaks down."

"I'm not leaving this case, Kate."

Kate sighed. A determined Rick Castle was impossible to deal with. Maybe she'll convince him later. Now was not the time to argue. "Ryan, Esposito, what've you got?"

"Once again, nothing. Looks like our killer knows a lot about these parks."

"You're saying a guy walked in here and dumped a body and no one saw anything?" Castle asked incredulously.

"Apparently not… Also, no blood trail. No pool. No splatter. The girl was definitely not shot here."

"Hmmm… okay, Ryan, Esposito, I think we're done here. You two head up to the NYU and question around. We'll…"

"Okay, got it." The duo left.

Once inside the crown vic, Kate took in a deep breath and started, "Rick…"

"No Kate, we're not involving Alexis in this."

"But…"

"No!"

Kate shut up. It hurt. Castle never talked this roughly with Kate. They had their occasional fights like any other couple but this was… different.

"Rick, will you just hear me out?" Her voice was tired and slow.

Rick said nothing. She chose to take his silence as a yes.

"Rick, Alexis will know eventually. If we don't tell her, she'll know from her friends… or even worse, the media. She'll be hurt. She deserves to know the truth and she might be able to help us. Even before we knew there was a body, she told me that she felt something bad happening to Nichole. We've got to let her in…"

"So that she can be the next? There's a freaking psycho out there, Kate. I can't let this happen. She's _MY_ daughter."

"I know she's _YOUR_ daughter, Rick. Trust me, I know. She's not my blood. I know. It is _YOU_ who keeps using the term _OUR_ daughter, not me." Kate hadn't realized that her voice had risen.

Rick immediately felt guilty. He had not meant it in this way. But now was not the time to apologize, he reasoned. This was about Alexis. So he kept quiet.

Kate squeezed her eyes shut. She hated this. She hated this differentiation. She loved Alexis a lot. She'd kill for Alexis, if needed. Hell, she'd die for Alexis if needed. Why was Rick opposed to a conversation with Alexis? Did he think she'd allow anything bad to happen to the young girl? Didn't he trust Kate enough? She could feel the tears threatening to form at the back of her eyes and she willed them away, biting into the insides of her cheek.

Of course she's not Alexis' mother. What the hell was she thinking?

After a few moments passed and the tense silence seemed to condense around them, she cleared her throat.

"Rick, I'm dropping you at the loft. You don't need to come to the Precinct today."

Silence.

They drove in silence to the loft where she pulled over but left the engine running. Neither of them spoke. After a moment, Rick opened the car door and exited, slamming the door shut behind him. He crossed the sidewalk and entered the building. He didn't look back… not even once.

Kate sat there for a moment before driving off, trying hard to control her breathing.

(….)

When she walked into the morgue, she was positively in a foul mood.

"Lanie, what've you got?"

"Well, hi to you too." Lanie said, not looking up from her papers.

"Hi Lanie. What've you got?"

There was something in Kate's voice that made Lanie look up.

"Kate, what's wrong, girl?"

"Nothing."

"Where's your shadow?"

"At the loft, probably."

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Did you fight?"

"Lanie."

"You did!"

"Lanie, stop being a shrink and be the ME you are supposed to be." Kate hated that her voice was so stern.

Lanie shrugged.

"Okay, so we already had that ID. We confirmed. She's twenty-two. The girl was raped, just as I told you before. Her blood alcohol levels indicate she was drunk. Again, there're trace amounts of spermicide in her vagina. Guy was wearing a condom. Bruise patterns on her wrist indicate she was handcuffed during the struggle."

"Is that all?"

"No. Here comes the interesting part. Ballistics report indicate that Nichole and Rebecca were killed with the same gun, which is a 9 mm."

"That could be anyone…"

"Here is the twist!" Lanie smiled. Kate stared at her. "I checked the bruising patterns of the cuffs and scrapes by the cuffs. Tests showed the handcuffs were made of cadmium steel alloy. Make was of 4mm shear rope diameter. There're saw tooth serrations which means it is custom made. Now that should narrow it down. All the NYPD issued handcuffs are nickel plated stainless steel. Get hold of shops that sell the cadmium alloy handcuffs and you can get a lead."

"Thanks Lanie."

"Now girl, what's the matter? You should be kissing me right now."

"Let me catch the bastard and we'll make out, I promise."

Lanie pretended to shudder and then smiled. "Sorry girl, I only bat for the other team. And as far as I know, you do too… now will you tell me what's wrong?"

"Later, Lanie."

"Keep it up girl. You'll have a stroke one of these days."

Kate rolled her eyes and hustled out of the morgue.

(….)

As the door to the loft opened, Alexis looked up from the newspaper, surprised.

"Dad, you're back! What're you doing here?"

"What do you mean? I live here." Rick attempted to joke.

Alexis rolled her eyes and smiled but once she saw her father's face, her smile disappeared.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, pumpkin. I'll just write, I guess…."

"Daddy, come here." Her adorable address coupled with her stern voice always had its effect.

Rick stood quietly while his daughter tried to read the signs on his face. "You fought with Kate!" She suddenly exclaimed.

"You know you'd make a good psychic. Are you sure you want to be a lawyer?" Rick couldn't let go of his humor. Humor was the armor that always hid his vulnerability.

"Dad, why did you fight with Kate?"

Oh…oh… what was he supposed to say? He hadn't thought of that.

"Are you going to answer me or do I have to call Kate?"

"No," Rick replied promptly. How would Kate behave with Alexis? Granted that this was not their first fight but it was the most serious. It was the shortest fight they ever had but it was the most serious. Could Kate vent out her anger on Alexis? He didn't think so but… he wondered how many more layers of Beckett onion remained to be peeled.

"That's it. I'm calling Kate."

Rick scrambled as Alexis picked up her phone, lifting her finger to hit speed dial. "Wait!" He couldn't avoid the truth. Alexis was smart, she'd picked up Beckett's interrogation skills and she was training to be a lawyer. Shit! What was Rick thinking? As the young woman lifted an eyebrow questioningly, his shoulders slumped.

"Okay Alexis, we need to talk! Please sit down."

"You guys are not splitting up, are you?" Her eyes were wide. The insecure yesteryear teenager was back.

"No Alexis. It's about your friend… Nichole."

Alexis' eyes went wider in shock. Her fingers gripped her cell phone so tightly that her knuckles were white. "Is she dead?"

Castle didn't know what to say and the writer in him knew no words to ease the pain. So he just nodded.

"When?"

"Last evening."

"How?" Alexis needed to know how she was murdered.

Rick hesitated. Should he tell the truth? How much was he supposed to tell her? "She was shot in the chest."

"Why would anyone shoot a college student?" Horror was evident in her voice. "I mean, she didn't do drugs. She wasn't involved in any kind of crime." Wow, since when had she started to think like a cop?

"Sweetheart, people are not always as they seem…"

"But dad, she was my closest friend in the whole NYU. We used to hang out together, almost 24X7. And whenever we weren't together, we were constantly texting each other. It wasn't possible for her to do something without me knowing."

And then reality slapped Rick on his face. They were always together. Nichole was apparently just like Alexis. It could've been Alexis instead of Nichole. It could've been his baby girl lying on the grass naked… He violently shivered, his vivid imagination refusing to conjure up the image. He didn't want to conjure up the image.

Kate was right. Alexis couldn't be protected anymore. She needed to protect herself… and to protect herself, she needed to know the truth.

"Alexis, Nichole was raped before she was murdered."

He watched as the reality sank in and tears filled her blue eyes. "Oh God! Dad! That's awful."

"Look Alexis, Kate thinks you could probably answer a few questions about Nichole, given how close the two of you were. I wasn't convinced and that led to our fight. I'm still afraid to involve you in this mess but maybe… it's totally up to you. Whatever you decide…"

"You fought with Kate over this? You think you or Kate can stop me from trying to nail that son of a bitch?"

Rick grimanced as he heard the cuss words coming out of his innocent daughter's mouth. Innocent? What the hell was he thinking?

"Dad, we need to go down to the precinct. Now."

She was right. "Yes Alexis. Now."

_A/N: Okay… second chapter of the day! Isn't that a double treat? I hope it is ;-) I deliberately kept our perp out of this one because I felt that he was stealing all the limelight from our favorite couple. So I tried to make some progress on this side of the story… (obviously) doesn't mean he's gone. He's just resting, planning his next move ;-)_

_**Gloriajv**__, you're awesome with your immediate review. I love readers like you…_

_Okay, I love anyone who reads my stories._

_I know I haven't replied to the reviews of Chapter 3 but I'll do it tomorrow. It's past eleven at night and I've to wake up at five in the morning. _

_**Disclaimer: I own the Universe… but not Castle.**_


	6. Chapter 6

When the elevator dinged open for the twenty-third time, Kate didn't look up.

Since she'd returned from the morgue, she had added the details of the new case on her murder board. She's been staring at the murder board for… God knows for how long… searching for a connection between the two victims. Rebecca Hawkins and Nichole Jones belonged to the opposite ends of the social spectrum. The only thing common was their age. Rebecca was a hooker, Nichole was a student. Rebecca was arrested for possession of drugs, Nichole was studying law. Rebecca was homeless and without family, Nichole came from a large family. There was no one to be notified of Rebecca's death, Nichole's mother had been inconsolable. But they had both ended up on Lanie's cold marble table. All evidence suggested they had been killed by the same killer. There had to be something she was missing… there had to be a pattern… There was something right in front of her but…

How could she possibly work things out when she was distracted? Her mind kept going back to the fight in the car. Was Rick right? But if Alexis were any other girl, they'd have questioned her first as she was Nichole's best friend. It's true that Kate wasn't Alexis' mother but they were family, right? Had she overreacted? Had she given up too soon? She was too confused.

She was hoping Rick would come to the Precinct anyway because that's what Rick always did… He always showed up even if he'd been asked not to. Rick Castle was nothing if not persistent. He never gave up. That's why they had ended up together in the first place… When she had kept pushing him away, he had kept invading her space. When she'd built a wall between them, he'd hammered it down. When she'd closed the door, he'd kicked it open. That's why he was Castle.

Every time the elevator dinged, she looked up involuntarily, expecting Rick to walk in, coffee in hand. Every time she'd been disappointed. A dread was growing inside her. Had Rick finally given up? Had she pushed him away too far? But Rick was the one being illogical in this case, right?

She was lost in her thoughts. So when the elevator dinged for the twenty third time, she didn't look up.

When a flurry of a familiar shade of red caught her eye, she looked up to see Alexis settling on Castle's chair. Papa Castle was nowhere to be seen.

"Alexis, what're you doing here?"

"I heard about Nichole. I understand that I need to answer a few questions." Alexis' eyes were moist and red. She must've been crying. Kate hated to see the girl cry.

"Who told you?" Kate hesitated. Alexis was clearly in misery. Would Rick blame her for it?

"Dad. He drove me here." Oh. _Oh. Rick drove her here._

"Speaking of your dad, where's he?" A fresh wave of hurt jabbed at her heart. He was here but wouldn't see her?

"He's gone to bring us coffee. He assumed you'd be in a crappy mood. Also, I asked for some time alone with you." _He'd gone to bring her coffee. Maybe he'd not given up on her, then._

"Alexis, is it okay with your dad for you to be here?"

"No, but it'll be. I need to be here. I need to know." There was a determined look in those blue eyes.

"Look Alexis…"

"Kate, I know the two of you fought over this. You're right. I need to do what I can do. I owe it to her." She watched Kate nod. She gathered up the courage to say what she wanted to say next. "Kate, Dad told me that he'd said things that hurt you. I want you to know that you may not be my mother but… but, that doesn't mean that I… that I'm not yours." Alexis stammered while blushing furiously.

Kate was overcome with a strange feeling. She felt a huge weight lifted from her shoulders. She felt… light. At the same time, a fist clenched tightly around her heart and squeezed. It was a delicious pain.

Without thinking, Kate reached out and took Alexis' hand in hers. "Umm… Alexis… I don't know what to say…" she sighed. "I know I'm not the kind the person who can express herself clearly, but… I do love you. I'm not trying to replace your mother or anything, but… this connection we have… I cherish it. I'd do anything to keep you safe… you know that, right?"

Alexis stared at Kate for a moment before a wide smile broke out on her face like sunshine. "I know. Dad knows too. It's just that he's so immature at times. Don't be hurt, please?"

Kate smiled. Suddenly the world wasn't so dark anymore.

Rick was trying hard to control his tears. Why did he feel the need to cry like a girl, damn it?

He hadn't heard the whole conversation but he'd heard enough. Kate always said she cared about Alexis but this was the first time she'd admitted that she _loved _the girl. The two most important women in his life loved each other. They were family. He was a jerk to behave with Kate like that, to doubt her... He needed Kate's forgiveness.

He cleared his throat before approaching them, probably to give the overwhelmed ladies some time to compose themselves.

When he reached them, Alexis took one of the coffee cups from his hand. He stretched out his hand and silently offered the other cup to Kate. Kate looked up and her eyes met his baby blue orbs. His eyes were suspiciously shiny. Gratitude poured out of his eyes along with apology along with… _love? _Kate's lips curled upwards and a shy smile played in her beautiful eyes. _That shy smile that she reserved only for him._ Rick couldn't help but smile too. _He'd been forgiven. _

The spell was broken when Alexis spoke out, "Okay guys! Stop your silent conversation. We've a murderer to catch."

Both Rick and Kate turned to her in surprise. "Yes Captain!" Kate winked at her while Rick grinned.

(…..)

They had decided to settle down in the break room for the questioning.

"So, what do you know about Nichole?" Questioning one's stepdaughter was weird.

"Well, Nichole was graduating in Criminal Justice and Criminology, just like me. She'd plans to join JD, like me. We were great friends."

"Can you think of anybody who'd want to harm her?"

"I can't think of anyone. She was nice with everyone."

"Alexis, you said that Nichole used to hit bars to get laid, right?"

Before Alexis could answer, Rick cried out in horror, "What? She picked up men from bars?"

Alexis nodded. Rick's eyes went wide, "Alexis, did you ever…"

"Castle, you're not helping here. And no, she hasn't accompanied her friend on any such occasions."

"Right, sorry," he mumbled.

Alexis was relieved that she didn't have to answer the question herself. It was embarrassing, particularly when her father was asking it.

Kate returned to Alexis, "Do you know the name of the bar where she went yesterday."

"No, she didn't tell us. But we can track her phone and find out…"

Kate shook her head resignedly. "We tried. Her phone is switched off."

"No… I can track it. At least, I can track the location where the phone was switched off" Alexis pulled out her phone from her pocket animatedly. "Our phones have GPS tracking programs. Our phones were synced." As she busily pressed on a few buttons to open the necessary program, she elaborated, "In this way, one of us always knew where the other was. So when one was at a party and invited the other over text, there was no need to write the address down. Oh, why didn't I think of it in the morning?"

Kate understood what she was saying. "Okay, see what comes up."

After a few moments of fiddling the phone expertly, Alexis declared, "Her last known location was the Blue Star. It's a bar on the 63rd. That's when her phone was switched off."

Kate breathed out audibly. They had a lead. "Okay."

"Kate, you didn't ask me about my alibi." Though Alexis' voice was quiet but a half-smile was playing on her lips.

Kate was shocked for a moment. Of course Alexis would bring this up. She _was _Castle's daughter. "Alexis, you're not a suspect. She was raped, remember?"

"I know but I could've been an accomplice. I could've even pulled the trigger. That'd make me guilty of murder." The girl would surely end up as a criminal lawyer.

Kate decided to play along."Okay, Alexis Castle, where were you between six and ten last evening?

Before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door. It opened and Esposito came in, Ryan in tow.

"Beckett, we've got a lead."

"What's it?"

"So we checked out all the shops in Manhattan that sell handcuffs and only one of them sell custom made handcuffs. We questioned the shopkeeper and he remembers selling a cadmium steel handcuff with saw tooth serrations last year to a Spencer Boyd. He says he specifically remembers the order because he thought the serrations were a barbaric addition."

"Does he remember him?"

"No but he gave us all the details of that purchase including credit card information."

"Okay, so pick up Boyd so that we can question him."

"We can't."

Kate turned to Ryan with furrowed brows. "What do you mean?"

"We can't pick up Boyd. He was found dead a day after the purchase."

The five of them stood there in silence, trying to comprehend the situation.

Kate was the first to speak. "Pull out Boyd's file. We need to know everything on his death."

(….)

"Let me get this straight. You want to go over a solved case when you have two unsolved ones in your hands?" Captain Gates was fuming.

"Yes Sir," Kate replied.

"And your reason?"

"We've evidence that suggests that the handcuffs used in these two cases were bought by the previous victim. We need to know everything about Spencer Boyd to understand what happened to the cuffs he ordered. This is the only viable lead we have at the moment."

Gates considered for a moment. "Okay detectives. But I hope you know what you're doing." She motioned towards the door with her hand. The three detectives and a writer left her office readily.

Ryan left for the records section for the files while Beckett went to her desk. Alexis was sitting in the break room. Esposito came up to where Castle was standing.

"Yo Castle! Want Little Castle under WITSEC?" he joked.

"No, but a protective detail would be nice. Can you tell me where to apply for it?" Castle joked back.

Esposito turned serious. "Don't worry, dude. Beckett has already applied for it." He patted Castle's shoulder and walked off.

_Oh Kate!_

They had sent Alexis home with Police protection. No wonder Alexis was unhappy about it but had agreed grudgingly.

The four of them were now sitting in the conference room with papers from Boyd's file strewn across the large table. They were sitting there for a long time and the room was getting stuffy. They all needed a break.

"Guy buys handcuffs one day and ends up dead on the next. What're the odds?" Ryan wondered aloud.

Rick chuckled as he picked up a paper randomly. It was Spencer Boyd's autopsy report. Suddenly something caught his eye and he sat upright.

"Ryan, you said that Boyd's body was found _a day_ after the handcuffs were bought, right?"

The boys nodded while Kate looked at Rick curiously. She knew that look. Castle had found something.

Castle continued, "But the ME at the crime scene reported the body was at least two days old."

It clicked. Kate spoke out, "So when the handcuff was bought, Boyd was already dead for a day."

Castle started theorizing, "Whoever killed Boyd must've stolen his credit card and posed as Boyd."

"No one knew any better because Boyd's body hadn't been found yet." Kate finished his thought.

There was pin drop silence in the room.

"So this is another dead end?" Ryan whined.

"What does the file say about the killer?" Beckett countered.

"One Amanda Hopkins was strongly suspected as the killer but by the time the cops knocked on her door, she'd shot herself with the same gun that she used to shoot Boyd."

"That's odd…" Castle was suddenly thoughtful. "Remember the last time such a thing happened in a case?"

"Such things often happen, Castle. People shoot others in rage and then feel guilty and kill themselves," Esposito observed.

Castle didn't respond. "Kate, remember the case where this happened before?"

Kate was silent for a moment. "Yeah… the Redding case in 2009… Same M.O, well almost. Same situations…"

Esposito scoffed but was cut short by Ryan. "Castle, you may be onto something here. Remember the other kids that had been involved in that case but were let go?"

The three of them nodded at Ryan.

"Spencer Boyd and Amanda Hopkins were two of them."

_Shit! Holy Shit!_

A chill suddenly descended in the room that had nothing to do with the weather.

Kate spoke first, "As far as I remember, three kids were let go. What about the third one?"

Ryan consulted the papers in his hand. "The third kid was Romy Lee."

Before anyone could say anything, Esposito volunteered, "I'll see what happened to her." He got up and walked out to his computer.

Kate and Rick stared at each other while Ryan kept sighing and muttering to himself.

After four minutes, Esposito returned. His face was pale.

"Romy Lee was shot to death six months ago, in Florida. The killer wasn't caught. Florida PD declared the case 'cold' a month ago."

"That leaves us with Brandon Maxwell."

(….)

"Brandon is supposed to be in prison!" Castle exclaimed. "He killed two people in cold blood, how did he get out?"

"Rick, he was seventeen when it happened. He was sentenced by the juvie court. His term was for 10 years."

"Okay, but it's been only six years and he's been already out for a year."

"Apparently he ratted out one of his inmates in return for a plea bargain. His sentence was reduced to five."

"Wow! Five years of prison and now, five lives gone."

"Castle… cool down. We'll find him. We've already sent an APB out on him. In the mean time, we need to send uniforms to canvass the bar for evidence."

Castle nodded. "I always hated that kid."

(…)

Brandon Maxwell sat in his room, bored out of his mind.

What was Detective Beckett doing? Why weren't they after him yet? Hadn't they caught up with what was going on? Was he too smart for them?

Did Beckett know she'd end up as a victim soon? She'd end up naked and broken just like that whore whose death she was investigating.

He just hoped Richard Castle would turn up at the crime scene. If not, maybe he could take a few photographs and send them to Castle.

Oh no, still better, he'd record the entire session and send the video to Castle.

Castle would see the extraordinary Kate Beckett in the process of being broken. He'd see her green eyes wide with fear and pain. He'd hear his wife pleading for mercy. He'd hear his wife's shrieks as another man's cock tore her insides. He'd watch helplessly as the life drained out of her sexy body.

He'd watch, knowing all the time that his wife was already dead and there was nothing that he could do to save her.

Brandon stood up and walked to the table at the corner of his room. He opened the drawer and brought out a copy of Naked Heat that he'd snuck out of the library. He also brought out a cigarette lighter, lit it and held the book in flame until the pages caught fire. He stared at the flickering flame as "Nikki Heat" burned.

Oh yes, now was the time to step up this little game.

_A/N: This chapter was mainly case based. Hope you were not bored. The case needed to progress… otherwise Brandon will keep scheming and raping and killing and our favorite couple will keep living a fluffy life. While I don't mind the latter, I've a problem with the former. Tell me if you liked the chapter. Please, please, please? _

_**Disclaimer: I wish…**_


	7. Chapter 7

The four of them were staring at a police sketch.

Ryan and Esposito had gone to the bar "Blue Star" where Nichole's phone last pinged. They'd shown around her photo and the barman had turned out to be helpful. He'd said that he remembered her because she was one "Hot Mama" and the guy sitting with her was a real creep. "What did she see in him?" he'd wondered loudly. He had agreed to describe the man to a NYPD sketch artist and now the four detectives were looking at Brandon Maxwell.

The sketch was similar to his photo from the six year old police file… well almost. His hair was cropped up now. His cheeks had hollowed out. His eyes appeared sunken and his nose stood out prominently. His neck and shoulders appeared more muscular. There was something about his eyes. His eyes were 'dead', as the barman had described them.

They sighed. They had the guy's name, sketch and enough evidence. They didn't have only one thing… The Guy.

Kate broke the silence, "Okay, put the sketch out there along with the APB. Hope something shakes out before someone else turns up dead."

The three detectives reported the case to Captain Gates while the writer stood at the back silently. After they were done, they filed out of her office. Castle was the last one to get out. Before he left, he looked back to find Gates watching him. She nodded at him and he nodded back.

Once out, he saw Kate looking at him with raised eyebrows and a teasing smile playing at the corner of her lips. Apparently, his little 'interaction' with the Captain had not gone unnoticed. He waited for Kate to pull on his leg but it never happened. Instead, she picked up their jackets and offered him his while sliding into her own.

"Come on Castle, there's nothing more that we can do before we pick up Brandon. Let's go home." _Castle! Kate had called her Castle… and she didn't appear to be pissed! _

They stood in the elevator silently and kept their hands to themselves. Both of them were hesitant to start something and waited for some sign from the other. They were still waiting when the elevator dinged open. They walked out and to their ratty crown vic that Kate still refused to retire.

Once they were inside, Kate reached out to turn the ignition key. Rick's hands covered hers and stopped her.

"Kate, I'm sorry….about earlier."

Kate turned her head to look at Rick and saw the remorse that filled his eyes.

"It's okay, Rick. She's your daughter and you're concerned. It's perfectly understandable."

"You know, when I say she's _our _daughter, I mean it."

"I know," Kate's lips curled up slightly. "Doesn't change the fact that you're right to be concerned about her safety."

"Kate, I trust you. I know you'll do anything for her."

"You're right… for once," her smile grew.

He released the breath that he had been holding. Kate was willing to put this behind them.

"Kate, I promise, I won't doubt you anymore. I…" His speech was cut short by Kate's lips on his.

"You talk too much," she grinned when she pulled back. His heart was thudding against his ribs. He smiled back.

The rest of the drive back home was pretty insignificant, except for their occasional wandering hands when they stopped at signals.

(…..)

They entered the loft to find Alexis sitting on the couch, staring vacantly into space.

Rick and Kate looked at each other once before approaching Alexis.

"You alright, pumpkin?" Rick asked as he leaned down and kissed his daughter's forehead.

"Yes, dad."

The short answer from the normally bubbly girl said it all. She wasn't alright.

Rick sighed. He didn't know what to do. He looked at Kate pleadingly before speaking out loud, "Kate, why don't you relax while I fix dinner…" With that, he left for the kitchen.

Kate leaned back on the couch and put her hand on Alexis' shoulder. To her surprise, the young girl snuggled into her.

"Did you catch him?" Alexis' voice was riddled with uncertainty.

Kate swallowed. She wished she could give her a positive answer. "Not yet. But we have his name… and his sketch. You helped a lot. We've put an APB on him. We'll catch him pretty soon."

"Why did he do it?" Was her voice shaking?

"He's killed six people before he killed your friend. He doesn't need a reason. He's a psychopath."

"Did he rape them too?"

"One of them. The girl before Nichole." Something tugged at Kate's subconscious as she answered the girl but she couldn't place her finger on it.

"Were all the other victims guys?"

"No." There were two other female victims.

"Why did he suddenly start?" _Why indeed?_

"You're reading Criminal Psychiatry. You should know that a criminal sometimes escalates the violence."

Alexis sighed.

"Anyway, how are you feeling? And truth this time…" Kate ran her fingers through Alexis' red hair, gently massaging her scalp in an attempt to soothe her.

"I don't know…I don't feel anything… It's a weird feeling, you know?"

Kate nodded. She knew. She knew how "not feeling anything" felt.

Alexis continued, "Whenever I sat in this empty loft and needed to talk to someone, I'd call Nikki. She'd share everything with me. Whenever I was upset, she'd make me laugh. We laughed together. Today…" Alexis trailed off and Kate tightened her hand around the girl protectively. Alexis shook her head and started again, "Today, I'm upset because she isn't here. Can't believe I'll never see her again." Her voice broke.

"Shhh… it's okay, honey," Kate placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Why don't you skype Ashley? You'll feel better."

"I can't. He's currently in Bolivia for a project. He doesn't have internet access at the place he's staying. Plus, the time difference."

Rick entered the room, juggling with the plates laden with food. "Dinner is ready, ladies." His cheer sounded forced even to his own ears.

"What're we having?" Kate asked with a forced smile.

"Mac and Cheese. The quintessential comfort food."

"Okay guys, let me freshen up a bit." Alexis left for the washroom.

Once Alexis was out of the room, Rick nudged Kate with his elbow. "How's she holding up?"

"She's grieving, obviously. But she'll get through it."

"How long do you think she'll take to return to normal?"

Kate heard the unasked question. _How long did you take to return to normal when you were grieving?_

"Everyone's different, Rick. She's lost a close friend but she's mature… much more mature than I was at her age. She has you. She has Ashley. She has Martha. I'll be here if she needs me. She'll get through it."

"Yeah, I can't wait for mother to come back soon. I don't want our girl to stay in the loft alone." Rick gazed at Kate as she smiled softly. "By the way, did I tell you recently how extraordinary you are?"

Kate smiled at him. "Well, you've said this morning."

"That's not recent enough. Katherine Beckett-Castle, you're the most extraordinary woman ever known to exist in the Universe."

Kate was used to hear this almost every day, sometimes more than once but she still blushed every time. Every single time. Tonight was no exception.

Alexis walked in, picked up her plate and sat on the couch opposite to her parents. They ate their dinner silently for a while. Suddenly, Rick snorted. Both the women looked at him curiously.

Rick grinned at Alexis, "Remember the time you vehemently refused to eat Mac and Cheese?"

Kate looked at Alexis incredulously. "You refused Mac and Cheese? When?"

A smile involuntarily crept up on Alexis' face. She turned to Kate. "I was in kindergarten and Paige had managed to convince me that these were basically worms." Paige was her friend throughout her school life.

Kate laughed out loud. Rick joined her.

"Dad! Don't laugh or else I'll tell Kate about the cheese shower."

Rick pretended to stop laughing abruptly. Kate looked at Rick and then at Alexis, "Alexis! Tell me!"

"Well, this one time Dad was trying to make cheese puffs and halfway through the process, he felt the need to tweak the recipe. The whole thing exploded and there was a shower of cheese in the kitchen. They were everywhere. You should've seen him, standing in the middle of it all, drenched in cheese."

Kate doubled up in laughter. It wasn't so hard to imagine Rick Castle standing in the kitchen, covered with cheese from head to toe. Rick sat beside her with an exaggerated pout on his face.

Alexis wasn't finished. "When I walked in, Dad was trying to lick off cheese from the tip of his nose with his tongue."

A fresh wave of laughter filled the room. Rick pretended to be offended. "In that case, I'll have to tell Kate about the time when you…."

And it continued. Over the next hour, the father and his daughter recollected some of the funniest stories. The Castle family had many weird stories up its sleeve. Kate listened to them fascinated and sometimes shared stories of her own childhood. When the hour was up, the three of them were on the floor, breathless from laughter. Their empty plates lay forgotten in front of them.

After they'd finally stood up and carried their plates to the sink, Alexis turned to Rick and Kate and hugged them at the same time. Rick stretched one of his arms around his daughter and another around his wife and soon, they were group-hugging. After they pulled apart, Alexis had a huge smile on her lips.

"Thanks guys, I needed it."

"We needed it too." Kate smiled back while Rick watched them.

"I should go to my room and try to sleep." Alexis paused for a second before continuing, "I want you to know that I'll have my iPod earphones on." With that, she winked at Kate and started up the stairs.

After Rick recovered from the shock at his daughter's words, he looked over at Kate and found her cheeks beet red.

(…..)

They stood beside each other in front of the mirror, brushing their teeth in contended silence.

Rick was done first and had excused himself to use the toilet. After Kate had finished rinsing her mouth and washing her face, she looked up into the mirror and found Rick watching her. Their eyes met through the mirror. Rick closed the distance between them and stood right behind Kate, his muscular arms encircling her slim waist. Their eyes never left each other.

Kate could feel herself getting aroused as she felt the coolness of the bathroom counter against her stomach and the warmth of her husband's broad chest on her back. She felt Rick's chin resting on her right shoulder as his hands started wandering over her flat stomach, re-exploring the already chartered territory. His warm breath on her neck gave her goose bumps and she shivered in anticipation. She leaned back into him and felt him getting hard. Her eyes fluttered closed when Rick's heated lips grazed her creamy skin. Rick's unruly hands ventured further north until they reached the soft swell of her breasts. Even through the fabric of her top, he could feel her nipples hardening beneath his fingers.

A huge wave of desire washed over his body and Rick's hands around Kate momentarily slackened. She took the opportunity to turn around and face him. Their lips met hungrily. She took in Rick's lower lip between hers and sucked on it. Her hands ran over his muscular back and made their way into his hair.

The kiss turned frantic when her heated core brushed against his bulge. Their lips parted and both of them dueled with their tongues in order to claim territory in each other's mouth. When Rick's teeth grazed her luscious lips, her fingers tightened in his hair. The sweet pain put all of his nerve endings on an even higher alert, if possible. His mouth left hers momentarily and Kate felt an immediate sense of loss. It was short lived, however, as he returned to her body, his attention on her neck this time.

His fingers gently squeezed her pert breasts on their own accord and his lips sucked her smooth skin. She felt his erection pressing against her thigh. She could take it no more.

"Rick…."

"Hmmm?" Rick grunted, his mouth not leaving her.

She felt the vibration and gasped. "Make love to me, Rick."

Rick placed another wet kiss on her neck and looked up. Their eyes met. His blue eyes were darkened with arousal… her hazel ones were almost brown. They saw their own need, want and desire reflected in each other's eyes. In one sweeping motion, he picked her up in his arms and headed out of the bathroom.

When they reached their bed, his legs hit the edge and they tumbled down on the pristine white sheets. Kate giggled in a very un-Beckett like manner. The giggle turned into a moan when Rick returned his attention to the hollow of her neck.

He caught the hem of her top and slid the garment over her head expertly. She wasn't wearing a bra. He pulled back to take in the view beneath him. She lay there clad only in a pair of worn out jeans, her brown hair cascading over the pearly white sheets, her eyes hooded with arousal and her lips slightly parted. Her bare chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily. With an animalistic growl, he tore away his own shirt before he dove in to capture her breast in his mouth. His hand reached to pacify the other breast. As his tongue caressed her nipple into full arousal, he rolled her other nipple under the flat of his palm.

Kate was in sensory heaven. Her slender fingers were wrapped around his wide biceps and she raised her hips. Even through the jeans, she could feel the warmth radiating from his manhood.

Rick's mouth left her breast and journeyed south across the flats of her abdomen towards the holy pilgrimage of her womanhood. When he reached the waistline of her jeans, he growled in frustration and yanked her jeans down, together with her panties.

Kate couldn't be a passive observer anymore. She reached down to unbutton Rick's jeans and pushed them down. Her fingers caressed his erection over his boxers. He clutched her wrists abruptly and moved her hands away.

"Don't. I won't last." His voice was tight.

His voice triggered a primal response in her body and a fresh wave of wetness moistened her nether lips. She closed her eyes.

Rick must have got rid of his boxers somehow because the next thing she felt was his erect manhood at her entrance, waiting for permission. Her legs parted involuntarily and she nodded at her husband. She felt her insides stretch as he entered her and her nails dug into his back painfully. The sting only served to drive him wild.

Both of them stopped moving for a brief second as they were dangerously close to their release. After they had regained control over their bodies, Rick started moving. It was excruciatingly slow. He withdrew himself over and over and thrust in repeatedly. Kate's legs wrapped themselves around his waist, drawing him further in. Their pace increased as their urgency soared. Soon, both of them were panting hard but not yet ready to stop.

They rocked together as the tightness grew in their loins deliciously. Rick was already hanging over the precipice, holding himself back… waiting for Kate to join him so that they could take the leap together. His fingers dug deep into her hips.

He leaned down and breathed hoarsely in her ears, "Let go, Kate… Cum for me."

And they toppled over the edge, hand in hand.

When Kate regained her bearings once more, she realized Rick was still flopped on the top of her, his face buried in the hollow of her neck. She saw the angry red mark on his shoulder and realized belatedly that she must've bitten on his shoulder during her freefall… during _their _freefall.

His hair was matted on his scalp with sweat and she tenderly ran her fingers through it.

Rick looked up. His clear blue eyes peered into her green.

"I love you, Kate. I love you so much." His voice was barely audible.

His voice rumbled through her chest and she felt a myriad of emotions being shaken to the surface. She placed her palms on either side of Rick's face and drew him to her to place a kiss on his forehead.

"I know, Rick. I love you too."

_A/N: Hmmm… Nothing much happens in this chapter. Yet, so much happens. __**Crazy4Castle**__…. Yes, I'm talking to you, dear…. I can take a hint, see? Happy? *winks*_

_Are you reading "Convection" by Chezchuckles? It's awesome but at the same time heartbreaking. After reading Chapter 4, I needed some fluff and smut… hard core smut ;) So I decided to write this chapter. Hope it didn't come across as poorly written porn (trust me, I've read a lot of them but *ahem* whatever…). I'd initially planned something for Brandon in this chapter but now, he'll have to wait till Chapter 8. Hope our freaking psycho can be patient enough…_

_Please review. You're adding my story in your alerts but not leaving a review. Come on guys, leave me some love. I promise I'll love you back!_

_Okay, I'll stop now before you're creeped out :P_

_**Disclaimer: Someday… someday… but not today.**_


	8. Chapter 8

Castle woke up.

The bed beside him was empty. As he sleepily reached out in search of his wife, all he came up with was thin air. It made Castle open his eyes. Kate wasn't sleeping beside him. He glanced at the clock. The neon letters read 3.04 am. He groaned. Now was not a good time to wake up… not at all a good time. But he needed to find his insomniac wife. His eyes took a couple of minutes to get accustomed to the darkness of the room. As he looked around, he found Kate standing by the window. The dim glow of the city lights streamed in through the window and highlighted the silhouette of her naked body.

He pushed the covers away and padded barefoot across the room to stand beside her.

"Hey," he whispered.

"Hey yourself," she replied as she continued to gaze ahead pensively, not turning to look at Rick.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked softly.

She shook her head. Rick marveled at how her hair had caught the orange glow of the city's neon lights. Light and shade played hide-and-seek on her body, giving her an aura of the supernatural. She looked like a Goddess…

"What're you thinking?"

Kate's eyes remained fixed on the skyline. She mulled over how to reply. She was never good in speaking her thoughts out loud. She was never good with words. She wasn't a writer. "I'm thinking… how many people could be losing their lives right now as we talk… how many girls could be crying out for help right at this moment…" She shivered involuntarily.

"Kate…."

"You know, when I joined the Academy, I thought I'd do something for the society. Solve crimes, catch criminals, make this society a safer place… At times like these I realize I've been trying to empty the ocean. For every criminal we put away, ten new criminals are born. It's just a futile endeavour…"

"Do not say that, Detective Kate Beckett. You know that's not true."

"I don't know what's true. Remember how hard we worked in the Redding case? What's the result? He got away with a slap on the hand… and now he's back. Five people are dead. Two of them are complete strangers to him…"

"Kate, he was in for five years. Do you realize how many people he could've possibly killed in those years? That's so many lives, Kate. You helped to save so many lives. Never ever doubt yourself."

Kate said nothing but leaned onto his shoulder.

"Come to bed, Kate."

She allowed him to lead her back to their bed. Rick tucked her in before settling down beside her. He rolled on his side, facing her and rested his arm lightly on her stomach as he watched her. He saw as Kate stared at the ceiling absently, a small frown forming on her face.

"Thinking about the case?" The question was redundant. Rick had all of Kate's expressions committed to memory. This particular expression meant that she wasn't satisfied with their investigation… that something didn't add up…

"No… Yeah… It's something that Alexis said… about the case."

"Hmmm?" He encouraged her to continue.

"Brandon killed seven people in total. All of them were shot in the chest and dumped in the park. Four of them were girls. Why did he suddenly rape the last two?"

"Well, as I'd heard a gorgeous detective say once, criminals may escalate violence at some point of time."

"Hmmm… but the escalation occurs in response to a triggering stimulus. A certain event happens in the life of a psychopath and shakes him up violently that compels him to change his M.O."

"Yeah, maybe prison was that trigger in his life." Castle theorized.

"I thought so too but Brandon killed Amanda and Romy after he got out of prison. If prison were the trigger, he'd have raped them as well."

"They were his friends…" Castle trailed off.

"Friends that he killed. Besides, Amanda was his girlfriend at the time of his arrest."

"Touche, detective."

They were silent for a few minutes, theorizing. But every theory they came up with fell short. Their minds started wandering.

Suddenly Kate snorted, "Remember how you tried to theorize why 'tragedy' actually meant goat-song?"

Castle chuckled, "Yeah! I was trying to impress you with my vast knowledge!"

"Yeah, hell of a way to impress a woman, Mr. Castle."

"Not just any woman, Mrs. Castle. I was trying to impress _you_." The grin on his face mirrored the one on hers.

"Well, I was impressed long before I met you." Kate bit her lower lip and squinted at him, looking for a reaction.

"What? You should've told me that before… You made me work hard for nothing!"

"And miss the fun? Anyway, you managed to piss me off while trying to _impress _me."

"Yeah, I realized that when you twisted my ear! Boy, was that painful!"

"You were eavesdropping…"

"You remember an awful lot about that case… Admit it Kate, you were floored by my vibrant personality."

"Well… what to say? I did end up marrying you, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did." He growled as he tightened the arm around her stomach.

"You called me Ms. Streep, remember?" Kate laughed softly.

"Yeah, you have an impressive poker face. Attending a public school and telling the Redding kids that you attended York…" Rick suddenly jerked and sat up on bed abruptly. "York… Kate… York…"

"Yes, Rick, York…" Kate smiled but faltered when she saw the abrupt change of his demeanor.

"No Kate, York. You told them you visited York. You told Brandon you visited York… Rebecca was pretending to be a York student when she was killed."

Kate fell silent. She could feel her heart starting to pick up pace. "It could be a coincidence, Rick…" she said slowly while her brain started working lightning fast.

"Kate, a hooker playing a York Student in the middle of night in cold weather… You acknowledged it yourself as odd. She'd been bound with a handcuff… Why'd he go for a handcuff? He could've easily bound her with ropes or duct tape… but no, handcuff… coming to think of it, she was a brunette and had green eyes… like you."

Kate processed the information slowly, a sickening feeling growing in her stomach. "Then why would he kill Nichole?"

"Nichole… Nichole… Nichole was a brunette and green eyed too…. And…. Shit! Shit! Kate! Shit!"

"What?" She was gradually imbibing Rick's panic.

"Nikki…. Nikki… She must've introduced herself as Nikki… You're Nikki…"

"I'm _not _Nikki, Castle." Her panic was now transforming into anger.

"You are, to Brandon. Shit! Kate! He's coming after you!"

Kate sat up and breathed in heavily, slowly releasing the air. _It made sense. It made perfect sense._

"Castle… Rick… this is conjecture."

"Tell yourself whatever you want, Kate. He's coming after you."

"Why now?" Kate whispered. "He's been out for a year, now. Why now?"

Rick sat there dejectedly, his head in his hands. "I don't know… Oh God!"

Kate was quiet. "We've to keep Alexis safe… and Martha… We never know what'll pop up in his crazy head."

Rick nodded.

"Rick, you need to protect yourself. If this is true, you're in as much danger as me. Maybe even more, if he tries to get even with me."

"What do you suggest?"

"You should take Alexis and Martha to the Hamptons."

"Okay, so after we reach the precinct, you'll apply for leave and…"

Kate cut him off. "Rick, I'm not going."

"What do you mean?"

"Rick, this is my damn case. I just can't leave it…"

"Kate, this is your life."

Kate didn't pay him heed and continued, "… also, if we go somewhere together, he's bound to follow. Hamptons won't protect us. Hell, he followed Romy Lee to Florida! No, we can't just escape. You'll take your kid and your mother to the Hamptons and I'll hold fort here and catch the bastard."

"You actually think we'll leave you here?"

"I don't _think _anything, Castle. You will do it."

"And what happens if they come after us?"

"You'll be under protection."

"What if he comes after you?"

"I'll catch him."

"Damn it, Kate. You know what I hate about you? Your superhero complex! You think you're invincible." Rick's voice rose.

"I don't think I'm invincible," Kate's voice rose to match Rick's. "I am doing my goddamn job, Rick! The job that _you _were praising an hour earlier. I can't just leave."

Rick tried to control his breathing but failed. This was about his wife. Kate was in danger.

"Kate, I want him caught as well. I hate that kid. I want to kick him hard so he's singing soprano. But please, you're not the only detective in the city. Hand over the case to someone else and walk away."

"Right, so that that 'someone' gets to walk to _my _dead body at a new crime scene." Rick shuddered. Kate didn't stop. "Let's face it, Rick. He's after me. He'll not stop until he's got me."

"Not if we make ourselves obscure."

"I am not hiding from a criminal." Kate's voice was adamant.

"It's not 'hiding', Kate. It's just…"

"Castle, I'm not leaving."

"Okay, then I'm staying."

"You're not staying…"

Rick cut her off… "Alexis and mother are leaving for Hamptons tomorrow with police protection. But me? Either we stay together or we leave together. Take your pick. I am not leaving you alone."

Rick stomped out of the bedroom. Kate flopped back on the bed angrily. It's been an hour since Rick had woken up. The darkness was fading and the first rays of daylight were trying to ward off the vestiges of the night.

The darkness surrounding Kate's heart was only getting bleaker.

(….)

He glanced at his watch. It was 5.10 am.

It was cold. He was standing in front of the building, dressed in an overcoat and a hat. He was holding an envelope in his hand.

He was angry. _He was very angry._

He hadn't wanted to do it this early. He'd wanted to wait. He'd wanted to wait till 23.03.2015. He wanted to get the date right. He'd waited for a year to get the date right. It would be the six year anniversary of his arrest. It'd be six years since Detective Kate Beckett placed that handcuff over his wrists. He still remembered the cold metal and the warmth of Beckett's hands. Her hands were soft…not as soft as those sluts who did nothing other than sitting in front of a mirror whole day. Her hands were firm yet soft… Just like her body… He'd seen the defined muscles of her back rippling under that green blouse she was wearing that day. Her tender and milky skin looked so inviting. She was intimidating. She had an aura of power. She was smart… very smart, actually.

But she had a weakness. He knew her weakness. He knew of her Achilles' heel.

He had to execute her plan early. The NYPD was not as stupid as he thought. _Good, they're improving. _They had his sketch and had put out an APB on him. He'd come face to face with a "WANTED" notification bearing his own handsome face.

He had to do it today.

He looked to the building in front of him. Detective Beckett was somewhere inside this building. He briefly wondered what she was doing. Was she sleeping, naked under the sheets? Was she working out, sweat tracing every contour of her body? Was she making love to that man, caught up in pure rapture?

A violent anger shook his body. No! That couldn't be. She was _his._

He tightened his grip over the envelope in his gloved hand and crossed the road. He took in a deep breath and entered the building. _Her _building.

Three minutes later, he walked out and away from the building. He walked along the sidewalk until he reached the point where it turned sharply into an alley. He silently entered the alley and disappeared like a ghost into the darkness that shrouded it.

(…..)

Kate had been staring at the ceiling for the past hour. Rick hadn't returned to their bed.

This was their second fight in as many days. Kate sighed… that sick bastard had successfully messed up her life.

The silence was broken when the doorbell rang. Kate responded to the adrenalin pumping through her body and sprang to her feet. She hastily put on whatever she found within reach and reached for her gun in the bed stand.

Kate never used to keep her gun in the bedroom initially, not after she got married. Then one day the report of a cop family butchered in their sleep hit the papers. Kate and Rick agreed to keep a weapon within reach. Castle often joked that they indulged in threesome… Kate slept with Rick and a gun.

However, now was not the time for reminiscence. She picked up her gun and silently padded out.

Rick was standing at the centre of the room, eyeing a yellow manila envelope with suspicious eyes. He looked up instinctively and found Kate standing at the door of their bedroom, dressed in the white shirt that Rick wore last night and with a gun in her right hand. She looked kinda like those hyped Bond girls. Had it been under different circumstances, Rick would've swooned over how sexy Kate looked… how she looked _femme fatale. _But now was not the time.

"This is addressed to you," Rick held out the envelope to Kate. "Eduardo said someone left this at the reception desk this morning." His voice was heavy.

Kate took the envelope. "This morning? But it's not even six…" She trailed off. She shook the envelope carefully. She smelled it. When she was satisfied that it was not an explosive, she ripped it open. She peered inside. Her jaw hung open in shock.

Her facial expression must have been alarming because Rick hastened to Kate's side and almost tripped over the centre table in the process. "What is it, Kate?"

Kate tried to speak but no words came out. Her throat was as dry as the Sahara. She dipped her hand in the envelope and brought it out. Both of them stared at it with wide eyes.

It was a half-burnt copy of "Naked Heat." Scrawny handwriting ran over the damaged cover in black marker ink.

"_Game On."_

_A/N: Second chapter of the day. Many of you have been yearning for psychopathic stuff [yes, looking at you,__** jennifergarnerfan**__ ;) ] Well, this is not exactly psychopathic, judging by the standard of previous chapters but as Brandon would sing- *We're just getting started*!_

_**Crazy4Castle,**__ I promised to put words from your review in Rick's mouth. Did you spot it? __**Gloriajv**__ read and reviewed the last chapter at 5am (at her place). A round of applause for her!_

_Trivia: Hedge Fund Homeboys was originally aired in the US on 23.03.09. Hence the mention in the story!_

_**Disclaimer: If I were allowed to write Castle, I'd have written this into the script…but then Caskett would be married and the moonlighting shit and all… Long story short, I don't own Castle.**_


	9. Chapter 9

"Why is it, Detective Beckett, that criminals target you personally? This is not the first time." Captain Gates spoke curtly. She was sitting stiffly in her huge chair. Her elbows were resting on her desk and her hands held her glasses midway between her desk and her face. The half burned book lay wrapped in an evidence bag in front of her.

"I've been asking the same question to myself for a long time now," Beckett replied through gritted teeth.

Gates pondered over the situation for a moment. She pointed to the book and said, "This could be a total coincidence."

Castle jumped in, unable to contain himself. "Captain, with all due respect, there're no coincidences in a murder investigation."

The Captain tilted her head to look at Castle, annoyance written all over her face. "This could be sent by one of your rabid fans."

"Why would anyone send me a burned book?"

"Maybe he hated your book, Mr. Castle."

Castle huffed out in impatience. "This was addressed to Kate."

"That's because she's Nikki Heat."

"She's not Nikki Heat. This is ridiculous…." Castle started but was cut off by Beckett.

"Sir, you have to admit that anything is possible at this moment. I request a protective detail on my family including my husband, daughter and mother-in-law, with immediate effect." _Thank God, her dad was out of the country. One less person to worry about._

"That'll be granted, detective."

"Also, they'll be leaving for Hamptons soon. I want them protected by the Hampton PD. I request you to talk to them."

Gates frowned for a moment and considered. After a never ending moment, she said slowly, "That can be arranged."

"That's all, thank you Captain." Beckett proceeded to exit the office.

Castle was furious.

"Wait, you can't let Detective Beckett stay on this case," he said loudly. He knew the Captain would be pissed but he didn't care.

"Mr. Castle, I know what I can or cannot do."

"She's too close to the case. She's the target."

Gates knew Castle was right. Beckett was supposed to be the intended victim. This case would be increasingly dangerous for her. But Gates was not ignorant. Brandon Maxwell was a psychopath… a smart criminal. He was a 'been there, done that' type of criminal. It'd take NYPD's best detectives to catch that animal. She'd never admit it in front of her but Detective Beckett was the best in the job. Also, if Castle was right, the suspect had established some sort of imaginary relationship with the Detective. Beckett had the maximum chances of catching that scum.

Gates hated situations like these… Situations that tore her between what she should do and what she's supposed to do.

"Detective Beckett, is that your thought as well?" Beckett deserved to be offered a way out.

"No Sir. I want to be on the case," Beckett replied while shooting Castle a glare. Gates smiled internally. She could always put faith on Beckett's sense of duty.

"Okay then, Detective Beckett. You're allowed to stay on this case as long as you behave sensibly. Remember, one reckless behavior and you're out." Beckett nodded. Gates continued, "Uniforms will escort your family to the Hamptons where a detail would be put on them."

"I can't just leave my wife here," Castle was frantic.

"I don't care what you do, Mr. Castle. You're not a part of NYPD. Your wife is. Your family is being protected on your wife's request. If you don't comply, NYPD will not be responsible for anything that might happen to you."

_Anything that might happen to you. _Gate's ruthless words reverberated inside Kate and she shuddered. No, she wouldn't let anything happen to him.

Castle stormed out of the Captain's office, followed by Beckett. Once at her desk, Castle turned to her to say something. Kate cut him off.

"This argument is over, Rick. Go home and take your mother and daughter to the Hamptons."

Rick didn't answer. He looked at his wife for one long moment before walking off.

Kate watched as Rick walked to the elevator and got in. She kept watching until the elevator door closed. She wished Rick would look back at her for once.

_He didn't._

Kate clenched her fists. Her nails dug deeply in her palms but the pain was not enough to keep her tears away. She clenched her jaws tightly. She closed her eyes for a brief moment.

_This was not how she'd wanted to say goodbye. She'd wanted to kiss him. She'd wanted him to kiss her. She'd wanted an assuring touch. She'd wanted to promise. She'd wanted a promise from him… that this wasn't goodbye… that they'd see each other again._

She was breathing heavily. She wouldn't cry in the middle of the precinct. She wouldn't.

She felt a hand coming to rest on her shoulder and turned to see Esposito watching her.

"We'll get the dirtbag, Beckett. We'll make him pay."

(…..)

Rick stood in front of the precinct, fighting with himself.

He wanted to turn around and rush inside the precinct. He wanted to run up the stairs and into the bullpen. He wanted to run up to Kate and kiss her senseless. He wanted to apologize for walking away from her in the way he did, minutes earlier. He wanted to kneel down in front of her, begging her, pleading her to walk away with him. He wanted her to swear that she'd come home to him… but no one could swear that they wouldn't die, could they? Did Kate always have to be this stubborn?

Kate was in danger and what had he done? He'd just walked away from her.

_But Kate didn't want him, did she? She'd arranged to pack him off to the Hamptons._ The logical part of Rick's brain suggested that she'd done it for him but that part constituted very small portion of his grey matter. The rest of his brain screamed at him about how unfair life was. They had just started their life together. Why did it have to end? No, it wouldn't end, Rick thought vehemently. It couldn't end. They'd see each other again. This was _not_ goodbye.

He absently flagged down a cab and got into it. As the cab started to take him away, he wanted to look back at the building his wife was in.

He didn't.

(….)

It'd been two hours since he'd left her.

Kate was sitting at her desk, staring at Castle's empty chair. What was Rick doing now? Had he finished packing? Would he call before leaving for the Hamptons? Kate wasn't sure… They hadn't fought this severely in ages. They'd never fought like this after they got together. Now, Rick had just left her without a word and her family would be leaving soon. Would she ever see them again? If anything happened to her, her last thought would be they'd never kissed goodbye. If anything happened to him…. She pushed that thought away from her head with a force that was almost physical. Nothing would happen to him. Nothing would ever happen to him… but was that true? The restlessness inside her amplified.

_He'll be safe. He'll be safe… _Kate kept chanting, like a mantra.

Her cell rang. _Maybe Rick had called her._ She looked at the id and her heart sank. It was Alexis. They must've been leaving.

"Hey Alexis!"

"Kate, is Dad with you?"

"No, he left two hours ago. Where are you?"

"I'm at the loft. Where did Dad go?"

Kate's heart leapt up in her throat. Rick hadn't reached home. "I don't know, Alexis. We kinda fought… Did you try to call him?"

"Of course, Kate. His phone is switched off."

_Like Nichole's_. Kate froze.

"Kate?"

"Yes, Alexis. Is Martha home yet?"

"Yes, grams returned an hour ago. I was filling her in about the situation."

"Good, let me talk to her."

"Kate, what aren't you telling me? Oh my God, Dad is missing, isn't he?" Panic was seeping into Alexis' voice.

"I'm telling you everything I know. Now please let me speak to Martha."

Martha must've been sitting close to Alexis because the transition of voice was instant.

"Hello darling. What's going on?" The elder woman's voice seemed to be forcibly put together.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out, Martha. Rick left the precinct for home a couple of hours ago. He hasn't reached there yet. His phone is switched off… and we're in the middle of this shit…"

"I know. Kate… dear, calm down. We need you to calm down. Take in a deep breath."

Kate was grateful that Martha hadn't started blaming her instantly because she'd already started blaming herself.

"Martha, there is a police detail outside your door. You should be safe. Keep Alexis in. Don't answer the door, whoever it is… Not even if anyone claims to be the cops. If anyone calls about Rick, let me know but don't rush out yourselves. Okay?"Now that she was faced with a crisis, her cop senses were kicking in.

"Okay," Martha's voice was small.

Kate took in a breath. "Martha, I promise, you'll get Rick back."

"We want both of you back, Kate."

Kate was taken aback. She couldn't promise that one. "I'll try."

"That's all we want."

Kate hung up the phone in silence.

Esposito and Ryan were watching her intently the whole time. When she hung up the phone, they came up to her.

"What's wrong, Beckett?"

Kate debated for a second if she should tell them. She had to. They were the people who could help her. They were her family outside the family.

"Rick is missing."

She saw the alarm on the face of the two detectives and her heart sank. _This was really bad, wasn't it? _

Esposito regained his composure first. "We've to tell Gates."

"No!" Kate's reaction was instant. "Rick is missing, not dead."_ Was she in denial?_

Ryan stepped forward to pacify her inspite of Esposito's glare. "Okay we won't."

Esposito shrugged, "Where do we start?"

(…)

They sat in silence for another hour. They didn't know where to start. New York was not their break room. Three hours have passed since Castle left. He could be anywhere by now.

"Where are you, Rick?" Kate muttered to herself.

They were clueless. Worse was the fact that they'd have to pretend everything was fine so that Gates wouldn't suspect anything. Esposito felt they were wrong in cutting Gates out… The decision could come back to bite them in the ass… But Beckett was the boss and Castle was her husband.

"Do we have another body?"

The voice made the three detectives turn around fast enough to cause them a whiplash.

Rick Castle was eyeing them curiously.

(….)

"Where were you, idiot?" Kate couldn't recognize her own voice.

"I was at the Old Haunt…"

"Are you out of your damn mind? Why did you switch off your phone?"

"What? No! I didn't!" He pulled out his phone from his pocket. "Oh! It must've died…"

"You walk away from me, you go missing and you switch off your phone…"

"I _did not _switch off my phone!" Castle squeaked.

"Dude, you walked away from her?" Ryan's face was disapproving.

"Uh…"

"Did you forget our promise on the day before your wedding?" Esposito asked menacingly.

"No!" Rick hadn't. How could he forget it? The day before their wedding, Esposito and Ryan had pulled him aside for a 'brotherly talk'… the gist of which was if Castle ever hurt Kate Beckett, intentionally or unintentionally, they'd kill him slowly and painfully. The whole conversation would've been funny if Esposito hadn't been in it.

"So?" Ryan pressed for an explanation.

Rick stuttered. "I… I didn't walk away like _walk away_, you know… Kate, say something!"

Now that the killing anxiety had left her body, Kate felt hysterical. She was enjoying seeing the boys hazing Castle.

"How should I know, Castle? You didn't tell me anything before you left…"

The words were meant to tease Rick but when he winced, she realized that those words had cut him.

"Kate, I wouldn't walk away from you, I'll never leave you…. When I said 'always', I meant _always_."

Their eyes met. Suddenly the din of the precinct muffled out and their silent conversation started. Rick took in her beautiful face and saw the shadow of anxiety cast on it. It looked like Kate had aged ten years in a couple of hours and it broke Rick's heart to think that he had a role in it.

"You know guys," Ryan interrupted, "as much as we appreciate the two of you having eye-sex in the middle of the precinct, you should really call Alexis."

Right! Martha and Alexis! How could they forget?

(...)

The phone rang twice before Martha's subdued voice filtered through the receiver.

"Not feeling sunny today, mother?"

"Richard! Where the hell have you been? Your daughter is worried to death."

"I know. I went AWOL. I'm back in the precinct. Where's Alexis?"

"Thank you, dear God!" Martha sounded relieved. "Hold on kiddo, Alexis'll be on the line….."

They listened as Martha called out to Alexis. A minute passed.

"Richard, hold on. I think she's wearing her headphones or something. Let me go get her from her room."

"Sure mother, take your time."

Castle held on patiently while Kate stared at his face. As each moment passed, a strange uneasiness started to descend upon them inexplicably.

The silence on the line was suddenly broken by Martha's frantic voice. "Richard! Alexis is not here!"

_A/N: This chapter is short and ends with a cliffhanger! Don't kill me, please? I'll be uploading at least one more chapter today…._

_**Disclaimer: Nope, dude… Castle's not mine.**_


	10. Chapter 10

"What do you mean?" Rick's voice was panicked.

"I looked for her everywhere… She's not here…" Martha's voice quivered.

"Kate! Alexis is missing!" Rick sounded like a wild man.

Kate snatched the receiver from Rick's hand. "Martha, what happened?" Kate shivered. Her blood had been suddenly replaced by ice water.

"I don't know, Kate. Alexis was right here when I went for a bath. I came out and she wasn't here. I figured that she'd gone to her room. She's gone!"

Kate tried to calm herself but couldn't. Dread started to rise within her like molten lava. "Martha, did you hear someone at the door?"

"No… I should've been careful… Oh God! Oh God!" Martha cried out.

"Martha, calm down. It's not your fault. We'll find Alexis."

"Kate…" Rick called out from her side.

Kate nodded her head to acknowledge Rick as she spoke into the phone, "I've to go. But stay safe, okay? We'll bring Alexis back." She hung up the phone. "What is it, Rick?"

"Alexis' phone is ringing… she's not picking up."

Kate didn't know how to react. Was it good news or bad? Alexis' phone was working… _unlike Nichole's. _Alexis wasn't answering… _like Nichole._ Where did the girl go? At least her phone was on. They had a place to start.

"Ryan, Esposito... Track Alexis' phone."

The two detectives had been listening to the whole thing, so they didn't need to be updated.

"On it…"

Ryan rushed to his computer and tapped on the necessary programs and entered the required data. "Done! We've got the co-ordinates… the location is… Weird!" Ryan looked up from the screen to find three impatient faces staring at him.

"The co-ordinates say her phone is at The Old Haunt."

(…..)

"Rick, stop it." Kate's voice held no trace of humor.

They were sitting in their crown vic, currently caught up in a traffic snarl. Rick had been tapping his fingers on the dashboard impatiently for the last fifteen minutes. Kate had been trying to ignore it but now her threshold of tolerance had been breached.

"It's all my fault, Kate… It's all my fault…"

Kate considered what to say… In a way, it _was _his fault but now was not the time to think about it.

"Castle, focus. What does the GPS tracker say?"

Castle checked the screen once again though it wasn't necessary. He had already checked it fifty eight times in the last five minutes. "It's not moving, Kate. It's fixed at the Old Haunt. He must've dumped the phone and….. Oh God, what did he do to Alexis?" The writer's imagination ran wild and he suffered.

Kate didn't know how to console the desolate father. She hated to think what would happen to Rick if they found Alexis's body or…. _No! _She wouldn't think like this. She couldn't afford to think like this. She had to be the strong one. She'd have time to break down later. Not now.

They pulled up in front of The Old Haunt. Ryan and Esposito pulled up behind them just as they were getting out of the car.

Esposito grabbed Rick and took him inside the bar to question the bartender. Kate and Ryan moved along the sidewalk and then turned into the alley adjacent to the bar. Kate pulled out her own cell and dialed Alexis' number. A second later, she could hear the familiar ringtone of Alexis' phone… _Mine _by Taylor Swift. It was coming from somewhere near the trashcan.

The two detectives walked further in, hands on their weapons, ready to pull them out if necessary. Kate followed the ring while Ryan covered her, looking for any crook who might be hiding in the dark corners. At last Kate's eyes fell on the phone lying on the ground. Yes, it was Alexis' phone. She picked it up. A GPS tracking program was still open. The green dot indicating Alexis' phone overlapped the red dot indicating the last known location of Rick's phone. Rick's phone must've died in the bar. Alexis was trying to track her father.

Kate's heart was pounding as she walked further inside the alley, fearing for the worst. She walked ahead fast till she reached the end. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

Alexis wasn't lying dead… _at least not here._

When she walked back to the mouth of the alley, she found a harried-looking Castle leaning against the wall. Esposito was standing by his side.

"What is it?" Kate asked as she broke out into a run to cover the distance between them.

"Alexis was here… an hour and a half ago…."

"And?"

"She'd been looking for me. Brian told her that I was gone… She walked out. No one remembers seeing her after that…" Rick's voice broke down.

Before she could answer Rick, her phone rang.

"Beckett. Yeah… Really? Where? Okay we'll be right there…"

Beckett slid her phone shut and turned to the men. "Guys, we've a hit on the APB at 204th Street. A redhead was spotted with him. The uniforms will be arriving there soon but we're closer."

Without a word, they ran to their cars and left.

(….)

They pulled up at their destination eighteen torturous minutes later. The four of them got out of the car and looked around. It was a distinctly ratty neighborhood, crowded with warehouses and abandoned buildings. The road in front of them had narrowed down and split into two alleys. Even in the bright sunlight, the area was deserted. Kate looked around for a moment to see if they had a bystander. There was none.

Kate made her decision. "Esposito, you and Ryan take the right… We'll take the left."

The two detectives nodded at her and left for their designated alley.

Kate took in a deep breath and turned to Rick. "Rick, this might be dangerous."

"I'm going in and you know that. Stop wasting time."

"Okay." Kate knew that Rick was right. Any argument at the moment would be a waste of time. She silently pulled out her back up Glock and handed it over to Rick. "Be careful."

They jogged into the alley. The ground was irregular, strewn with stone chips and broken glass. They stumbled occasionally but didn't slow down. Midway through the alley Rick stumbled across something and then cried out, "Kate!"

Kate was a couple of feet ahead of her husband when she heard him. There was something in his voice… it wasn't pain. It was agony.

"What's wrong, Rick?"

Rick picked up the thing he had slipped on and held it up for Kate to see. It was a bracelet. _It was Alexis' bracelet._

Kate swallowed the bile rising along her throat. "It's okay, Rick. We're on the right track."

She held out her hand to her husband, trying to provide him reassurance; reassurance that she didn't feel herself. _Please God, don't let Alexis be dead!_

Most of the buildings along that alley were abandoned and most of the doors were boarded up. So when they reached the ratty green door, they were sure they had reached the right place. They didn't care to knock. Kate indicated Rick to stay behind her. After Rick complied, she stood back and kicked the door open.

"NYPD!" She yelled, mostly out of habit.

Scanning the scarcely furnished hall in front of her, she made sure no one was pointing a gun at them. She signaled all-clear to Castle and strode inside carefully in expert steps. She noticed a narrow stream of light filtering through the underside of a door in the corner. She wordlessly drew Castle's attention to the light and ran forward, knocking the door down.

As she bustled in, the first thing that caught Kate's eye was Alexis. The redhead was lying on the floor. She appeared unconscious. With a sigh of relief, she noted that all her clothing appeared to be intact.

The relief was however short lived when she saw the man from their sketch standing beside her, a gun pointed at the unconscious girl.

"Beckett, you came." The shy smile playing on his face was unsettling and out of place. It almost conveyed infatuation.

"Put the gun down, Brandon."

The smile grew sinister. "Really Beckett? You gonna take the chance? You'll shoot me? Or your dead beat husband will shoot me? Big deal! I'll make sure I shoot your girl here before I die!"

Beckett tightened her grip on the Glock.

"Beckett, just give me what I want and I'll walk away." Brandon almost whispered.

No, she wouldn't negotiate with this scum. She remained silent for a beat. "What do you want?" she asked, despite herself.

"You, Beckett. I want you."

Kate could feel the anger radiating from her husband beside her.

Brandon didn't care. He pressed the muzzle of his pistol against Alexis' temple. "Last time we played, I'd wanted a feel under your blouse. Remember? This time I want it all.. All of your body!" He removed the safety off his gun noisily. "This girl was so sure that you'd do anything to protect her. Make up your mind, detective… What's more important to you? Her life or your virtue?"

The way he spelled out 'virtue' made Kate feel already violated. She was ready to crawl out of her skin and die before she let this sick animal touch her.

"What do you choose? Answer _now._" Brendon barked.

Kate took in a deep breath. She knew what she had to do. "Her life."

"Kate!" Rick cried out, horrified.

Brandon chuckled lewdly, making her want to empty her stomach. She couldn't because her stomach was already empty.

"Richard Castle, the millionaire jackass… Your wife chose me… What's wrong, dude? Can't get it up anymore?" His voice was obscene and the bulge in front of his trousers grew. "Put down your weapons and kick them towards me," he motioned to the ground with his free hand.

They complied reluctantly.

"Now, babe, I suppose you have handcuffs with you."

Kate nodded mutely.

"Good! Take them out and cuff your husband."

"Why don't you just shoot me, Brandon? Get it over with…"

Brandon's laughter grew maniacal. "You don't seem to understand, detective! Your body is a dish best served hot! Why'd I want it cold?"

"Hey sicko! Who busted your jaw?" _oh Rick!_

His face grew serious. "Your daughter. She's strong… but she's not half the woman Kate is…" He turned to Kate, "If you want me to shoot someone, maybe I could expend with your husband…" He'd decided to press on her Achilles' heel.

"No! No! Wait! I'll do whatever you say!" Kate hastily brought out her cuffs and turned to Rick. Her eyes were apologetic. Rick's eyes were pained. He nodded and turned around, allowing Kate to do the needful.

Brandon whistled, "You're one sexy bitch! You look so dirty when you cuff them!"

Kate had never wanted to castrate anyone in life… until this moment.

"Castle, why don't you go and sit in that chair…," he pointed to a worn out chair in the corner, "… while I fuck your wife."

Rick stood at his place stubbornly but gave up when he tightened the hold on his gun.

"Now come to me, baby!" Brandon grinned.

"How do I know you won't kill them after you're done with me?" Kate had to make sure they'd be safe.

"I want them to suffer. I want Richard Castle to suffer. I didn't forget, Castle… the way you tricked me… that smug smile on your face when I confessed by mistake… I remember. I suffered. Now you and your daughter will suffer."

The hatred in his voice disturbed even a seasoned detective like Kate Beckett. She wondered briefly what lay in store for her, how far the animal would go before her body gave out. She knew one thing… She was in for a painful death.

She briefly wished someone would've just shot her. But then, who'd have saved Alexis? Would Alexis be in such a situation if it were not for her?

Wow! It was the chicken and egg situation all over again…

"Come on, Kate. Don't be shy. Come to me!"

"Kate, no!" Rick yelled from the corner. Kate faced her husband and mouthed, "_I love you."_

Then she turned around and walked to Brandon with more confidence than she felt.

In a flash, he yanked on her hair and pinned her to the cot before putting the handcuffs on her wrists. She winced when the saw tooth serrations cut into her skin. Satisfied after hearing the lock click in place, he stood up and looked down.

His dream had come true! Detective Beckett was indeed on his cot in handcuffs. He crouched over her supine form. He yanked her shirt open, the buttons scattering on the floor. He ran his palms over her body… His eyes closed involuntarily. "Just making sure you don't have any hidden weapon, Detective."

"The problem is, Brandon, you overestimate weapons."

He didn't know what hit him when Kate's hard shin connected with his groin. As he cried out, the heel of her stiletto dug deep into his crotch until she felt his tissues crushing. A red stain started spreading where his bulge had been seconds before. He let out an animalistic howl. The pain served to heighten his sick arousal. He pounced over her with renewed vengeance. He mashed his lips forcefully on hers. She opened her mouth, caught his lower lip in between her teeth and bit down hard. He jerked back and yelled. His left fist closed around her dense hair while he punched her hard in the chest. The air left her lungs in a whoosh and Kate gasped in pain.

"Bitch!" He growled, moving his hand to grab her bra-clad breasts in iron grip.

"Hey Brandon!" Kate suddenly called out, still breathless.

Just as he looked up instinctively, her right fist drove into his left eye. As the metal of the handcuff hanging from her wrist clanked against his teeth, his left canine tooth was knocked out. The gash on his lower lip started bleeding profusely.

Brandon looked like a monster with his bloodied face, his now imperfect set of teeth clenched sardonically and his grey eyes wide with anger and pain. As he reached out to grope her once more, Kate hooked her leg around his and flipped him over. Both of them fell on the ground with a thud and Kate landed over him.

"Never cuff a cop, you smug bastard. They always know how to bust them, even your custom made ones." Before he could say anything, Kate swung her fist rapidly five times in a row with deadly precision.

When she was done, Brandon was out cold.

Kate got up and staggered to Rick. She fumbled open his handcuffs and raced back to the unconscious beast. She cuffed his wrists tight, far tighter than necessary… By the time she stood up, Rick was behind her. It was a good thing because Rick was there to catch her when she collapsed.

"Kate! Kate! Kate!" Rick repeatedly chanted while trying to steady her limp body. "I'm so sorry, Kate… I'm so sorry…."

When Kate looked up again, Rick couldn't help but swoop down for a tender kiss. He tasted the metallic saltiness of blood… probably Brandon's. He didn't mind as long as Kate kissed him back. He didn't mind as long as Kate was in his arms, living and breathing. Rick hugged her tightly but released her when she winced. Her torn shirt was hanging over her shoulder and Rick could see an angry bruise form over her chest where the psychopath had punched her.

He hastily removed his own jacket and wrapped it around his wife. "Kate…"

"Later, Rick," she gasped. "Alexis."

Rick hobbled towards Alexis and tore away the duct tape. Alexis didn't move but at least she was breathing evenly. He debated briefly whether to carry her to the cot but decided against it. That cot symbolized _the events… _Events that'd bring nightmares for years.

He looked down at the unconscious form of Brandon Maxwell. Blood had stopped pouring from his lip and had caked along his chin. His jaw bore fist shaped bruises. His left eye was swollen and deformed. A pool of blood was collecting on the floor in between his legs, soaking his trousers.

Rick didn't care. Brandon Maxwell could die slowly in front of Rick and he wouldn't care. This was the animal which touched _his_ Kate.

He kicked Brandon's face hard, just out of spite.

"NYPD! Don't move!" Familiar voices yelled out from somewhere outside.

"We're in the basement, guys," Rick yelled back.

As footsteps sounded towards the door, Rick glanced at Kate again. Kate smiled.

Ryan and Esposito bustled in through the door.

"Why is it that the cops always reach after the action is over?" Kate called out to the boys.

"Why is it that Caskett always gets all the action?" Esposito countered.

"Caskett?" Rick and Kate asked incredulously at the same time.

"Yeah, you know, like Brangelina or Stanathan…. We coined it when we were shipping you two for five years. Strange that you didn't know until now!"

"Shipper name, huh? That's cool! But Caskett sounds like a coffin…." Rick whined.

"It's different. One t makes all the difference, you know… like 'later' and 'latter'," Ryan explained wisely.

Kate laughed and immediately winced.

"Yo, Beckett, you're hurt.." The Hispanic detective called out.

"Just a punch in the ribs…"

Rick started to refute Kate's statement but a squeeze on his hand and a pleading look in Kate's eyes stopped him. Maybe this secret would be confined to them, the IAB file and the department shrink… Would Kate need a shrink? How much did this affect Kate?

Esposito suddenly let out an impressed whistled. "You did quite a number on him, Beckett."

"Of course I did," Kate answered. "Nobody hurts my girl."

(…)

Beckett sat in the ambulance. A paramedic had examined her and concluded that Kate's ribs were intact. He'd left. Now she sat alone as people hustled around her.

Castle returned a couple of minutes later.

"How's Alexis?"

"She'll be alright. The jerk forced her to inhale instant sedative… chloroform stuff, ya know… The doc said she'll sleep it off. Still she'll be in hospital for a day… Observation."

"And Martha?"

"When I hung up the phone, she was sobbing with relief."

They smiled at each other before Rick's smile vanished. "How're you, Kate?"

"No cracked ribs. Just a bruise. I should be fine."

Rick's expression didn't change. "No, I mean how _are _you?"

Kate sighed. How was she? She didn't know. Would today appear as history tomorrow? Or would the reality kick in tomorrow with renewed vengeance? "I don't know, Rick," she replied truthfully.

Rick drew her to him, careful not to hurt her. Kate snuggled into him. As she took in her husband's familiar scent, a strange calm descended on her.

Today was over. She'd worry about tomorrow when tomorrow showed its face.

_A/N: This chapter! My God! This chapter was the most difficult to write. I've been working on this for the last ten hours! I wrote and deleted the chapter four times before this came up… Initially, my plot was different. In that, Rick would be kidnapped. Then I felt that it was too predictable and changed it… That obviously meant this chapter was Caskett's joint adventure. Then, the first two times when I was writing this chapter, Brandon was the one who called Kate and invited to play their 'game'. Kate would go rogue and run out to save Castle. But I couldn't get Kate and Brandon's phone conversation right. It seemed ridiculously similar to those dialogues in B-grade horror movies. Besides, Brandon has affected the plot so much since the beginning, I didn't want him to dominate. I wanted him to be caught by surprise… I mean, the NYPD doesn't employ sitting ducks, right? They are competent enough to nag this bastard! _

_I'm very insecure about this chapter. I need your reviews. Please._

_This is not the end… I think there'll be one more chapter, or two!_

_Who's read the whole A/N? Raise your hand please… :P_

_**Disclaimer: Mr. Marlowe, are you reading this? I want a job on your show. Please?**_


	11. Chapter 11

She stood under the shower, the steaming hot water scalding her skin. She hissed as the steady spray hit the bruises on her body. The saw tooth abrasions on her wrists stung. She closed her eyes as she enjoyed the discomfort in an almost masochistic pleasure. The pain gave her an odd sense of comfort.

_She was alive!_

She brought her hands to her body and rubbed her skin red and raw in an attempt to wash away the invisible slime that the animal's hands had transferred on her. The slime still stuck. Even after an hour under the shower, even when her skin was ready to shrivel and fall off, the greasy filth had not left her.

She bit her cheeks in frustration. How long would it take before she felt clean again? Days? Weeks? Years?

She felt his presence behind her but did not look back. She just moved aside to give him space. His hands came to rest on her shoulders. He said nothing as his hands continued to slip lower on her wet skin. They travelled over the strong muscles of her arm till they reached her fingers. When they left her body, she yearned for more. They came back to her body like iron drawn to a magnet and caressed her shoulder blades. His fingers rubbed gently along her spinal cord in an effort to release the tension in her muscles. It seemed to work as her shoulders relaxed. He caressed her flanks and made his way up, making sure to avoid her bruises. Ultimately he turned his attention to her neck which had been bunched up in tension. She moaned. He yearned for her touch. He closed his eyes but kept quiet. This was not supposed to be sexual.

_This was supposed to be about her_.

When he opened his eyes, he found her facing him. He could see the moisture of her lashes trying to hide her tears but in vain. He looked into her eyes as her hands came up to his cheeks to brush away his tears. _Since when had he been crying?_

She tilted her face up and parted her lips in a silent invitation, her eyes never leaving his.

He couldn't deny her the kiss. He leaned down to press his lips softly on hers. She took his lip in between hers and sucked on it with a startling roughness before claiming his mouth with her tongue. Her fingers clenched around the bulk of his biceps with unusual strength and she pushed him against the cool tiles of the wall before leaning into him. She resumed her assault on his mouth. He was taken aback and his hands rested limply by his sides.

They broke apart with a groan when the water turned cold.

He fumbled with the shower knob before turning it off. She stood there and shivered. He took her hand in his and led her out to the bedroom. As goose bumps ran over her skin, he came up to her with a warm towel and started drying her off. His hands were gentle and his touch was light, like he was handling something brittle. _Well, she was brittle._

When he stood in front of her after finishing his task, she placed a palm on his chest and pushed him back. He was confused. She kept pushing him until he fell on their bed. She crawled on the top of him as he lay on his back.

His hands came to her shoulders as he stopped her halfheartedly. "Kate, you're hurt."

She peered into his eyes. Her hazel orbs wanted to drown in his ocean blue. She was silent for a minute before she whispered, "Make me feel alive, Rick."

He removed his restraining arms off her and laid back in a gesture of surrender. He was hers. She could do whatever she wanted to do with him.

Her firm palms ran over his muscular legs, tracing the contours of his calf, circling around his knees, running along the tendons of his hamstring and quadriceps. As her feather light touch traced the insides of his thigh, he couldn't deny his needs any longer.

He clenched his jaws and shut his eyes tight as her hands made their way to his navel, ignoring the organ that demanded her attention the most. As she leaned down, he could feel her warm breath on his manhood. He throbbed in anticipation but the relief never came as she ran her tongue along his navel. Her cascade of hair tickled his most sensitive areas. He shuddered and growled, his fists tightening around the sheets.

She slid along his body until her soft breasts rested on his hard chest. The bruises stung but she didn't wince. She was only reassured that she was alive… that he was alive… they were all alive.

Warmth radiated from her stomach and bathed his cock. Her soft skin brushed against the tip.

He shuddered violently, "Kate!"

She didn't answer in words. She placed her knees on the bed on either side of him and straddled him. Her moist core rested against his stomach. She leaned down and placed her lips on his.

The warm moisture seeping through his skin made him painfully hard and he couldn't help but kiss back in a frenzy. She sat up. She took hold of his fists, flattened them and drew them to her breasts. His palms cupped the soft flesh on their own accord.

She leaned back and lifted herself, only to lower herself on his erect manhood.

Both of them gasped.

She started rocking gently, shooting waves of pleasure through their joined bodies. His fingers instinctively rolled her nipples. Both of them ran out of breath as they started increasing their pace. His hip rose up from the bed on its own accord to meet her, rhythm by rhythm, not wanting to lessen their contact.

She held his blue eyes captive in a steady gaze. Her eyes were wide and pupils were dilated with arousal. He knew his own eyes must've held the same look. He felt his insides being wrung in the pleasure. Her hands rested on his chest and her fingers dug in. He could sense his climax approaching fast. He sensed that hers was too.

"Don't hold back, Rick…" she panted hoarsely. Her breath was hot against his cheek.

Before he realized, his orgasm erupted, shaking his body from head to toe. The pull in his loins made him curl his toe in ecstasy.

The sight of his climax triggered her release. She cried out as her internal muscles clamped around his shaft, milking every drop of pleasure. Her eyes rolled back inside her head. She flopped down on him.

The two of them lay entangled, their eyes closed and breath ragged, his arms protectively curled around her back. After what could be a few seconds or a few hours, she shifted, settling on the bed beside him. His arm around her didn't slacken. She placed a leg in between his and her palm skidded over the slick sweat over his pectoral muscles. They lay there in contended silence, listening to each other's breathing.

After sometime, he opened his eyes and looked down to find her watching him.

"I'm yours… Only yours…" She whispered hoarsely. Her eyes were fixed in a fierce determination.

A primal protectiveness washed over him. "Yes, you're mine," he growled. "… and I'm yours. Always."

"Always." She echoed.

(…..)

She woke up in the middle of the night. She didn't know why. She felt his fingers running gently through her hair.

Her face was still buried in his chest. She reached up to touch his cheek. Her fingers touched something wet.

_He was crying._

Her chest tightened. She moved her head to face him. He didn't look at her. He was staring at the wall behind her.

"Rick," she whispered softly, her fingers caressing his moist face. "Don't cry. Please."

She felt him swallow painfully. "I don't deserve you, Kate." His voice was small and trembling.

"Shh… don't say that."

"All the time you were in there, you fought to save our daughter's life. You fought to save my life. What did I do? I watched."

"You had no choice."

"I had a choice, Kate. I could fight. I didn't. I stood there silently while he dictated his terms."

"He'd have killed Alexis." Her heart clenched painfully tight.

"All the time you decided to walk over to him, I thought of so many scenarios. I thought about how we could get Alexis out of there… about how to trick that bastard. I hoped you'd come up with a plan. I even wondered if he'd really spare Alexis if you…" he trailed off and shook his head. He gulped and continued, "Not for once did I consider you choosing yourself over Alexis. I didn't give you the chance, even in my thoughts. I'm such an animal." He couldn't stifle the sob that escaped him.

"She's your daughter, Rick. You'd be an animal if you wanted me to choose myself over her." She ran her finger in circles over his back.

"I don't deserve your love, Kate. I don't know what you see in me."

"Don't say that." Kate's voice was firm. "Richard Castle, you saved me in more ways than one. I've never told you this before but… when my mom died, I was in this really bleak phase, I considered… considered killing myself… more than once." She felt him stop breathing. "Your books saved me… You saved me even though you didn't know me then."

"Oh God, Kate!" He pulled her to him.

"You don't know how many times you've saved me. Before we met. After we met. You've pushed me away from a bullet so many times. I was drowning in my Mom's case and you pulled me out. You've given me happiness. You've given me a daughter. You've given me everything. You're a gift from God. How could I ever repay you?

"Just stay with me, Kate. Just… don't leave me. Stay with me. Always"

"Always," She promised.

(…)

They sat in the Captain's office. Beckett had put on her poker face. Castle didn't bother to hide his annoyance.

Gates spoke, "Detective Beckett, you've behaved recklessly yesterday by rushing into the scene the way you did."

"Sir, we were responding to an APB alert."

"You didn't wait for back up."

"I had back up."

"A civilian!"

"My partner."

The Captain huffed in impatience and fixed Beckett in a stern stare. Beckett didn't flinch. She stared back.

The Captain started again, "You grievously injured the suspect. He suffered severe damage and had to undergo emergency penectomy."

"He'd to have his penis removed?" Castle was obscenely overjoyed at Brandon Maxwell's misfortune.

"Yes, Mr. Castle. That's what penectomy means." Gates paused for a second. "Detective Beckett, as I'm aware, you were acting out of self defense. Still, there'll be an IA investigation."

Beckett nodded.

"The IA meeting will be in two weeks. You're ordered to rest until the verdict. Given the circumstances, you're also advised to visit the department psychiatrist."

Beckett sat in silence.

"The good news is all evidence could be tied up to the suspect. He's being charged with multiple counts of murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, wrongful confinement and attempted assault on a NYPD officer. The DA's office is pushing for the maximum… life imprisonment without any scope for parole."

Kate's shoulders relaxed.

Gates looked at Beckett for a moment and turned to Castle. "Mr. Castle, if you'll excuse us."

Castle hesitated but left.

Gates turned to the woman sitting opposite to her. "Detective, what you did was stupid… but brave."

Kate stared at her, this time in genuine surprise.

"But mind you, next time you may not be so lucky."

Beckett nodded again.

"The animal tried to sexually assault a NYPD detective. Although I'm not supposed to say this, I'll make sure that you're cleared by the IAB. In the meantime, take rest. Spend time with your family."

Kate wasn't in the mood to open her mouth, so she nodded in agreement and stood up.

"Nice work, detective."

Kate's eyebrows rose involuntarily in surprise. "Thank you, sir." She walked to the door. As she placed her hand on the knob, Gates called out...

"Detective Beckett… Have a nice vacation."

When she walked out of the office, Castle was pacing restlessly outside the door. As soon as he saw her, he stopped pacing.

Her face must have still borne the vestiges of surprise at Captain Victoria Gates' "humanness" because Castle asked her, "What happened?"

Kate shrugged, "I think I just witnessed an Apocalypse."

(…)

Kate opened the door while Rick bowed pompously. Alexis rolled her eyes and entered the loft, not bothering to hide her smile. Her parents entered behind her.

Martha rushed forward to greet her. "Oh Alexis! Welcome home, kiddo!"

"Really Grams, it's been a day!" She smiled sweetly at her dramatic grandmother.

"Is it? It seemed like a century to me!"

"Are you talking about yesterday or your lifetime, Mother?"

"Ha ha, funny man… say whatever you want. I meant to say, bad times tend to prolong themselves."

"You're right, mother. Maybe that's why I feel like you've been living in the loft forever."

Kate poked Rick in the chest. "Behave, mister. You're talking to your mother." The three ladies laughed when Rick looks sufficiently admonished.

Rick shook his head and muttered, "Not fair! So not fair!"

The dinner was fun. A close brush with death seemed to have reaffirmed their faith in life. They ate and drank merrily, including Alexis, who didn't usually like to drink with her family even though she was twenty two. Somewhere in the course of conversation, Alexis acknowledged how stupid she'd been and apologized profusely. When Rick felt the environment growing heavy, he successfully steered the conversation to jolly fun and madness.

After a couple of hours, they engaged in a big family hug. Shortly after, Martha went upstairs to sleep. Alexis and Kate sat together on the couch while Rick excused himself to the liquor cabinet for a bottle of red wine.

Kate looked at Alexis for a moment before speaking. "How're you, honey?"

Alexis shrugged, "You know, after the Old Haunt, I don't remember much. I don't even remember how he looks!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I remember someone grabbing me from behind in the alley. I swung a punch. Someone covered my face with a cloth. The last thing I remember is a sweet smell."

"Hmmm... still, Alexis, if you need to talk, don't hesitate. It can be really helpful."

Alexis hesitated. "Kate, I was thinking about visiting the campus counselor. I know dad would want me to visit someone more expert but…."

Kate cut her off. "Alexis, for any therapy to work, you've to be really comfortable with the counselor. If you want to talk to your college shrink, so be it."

Alexis turned to Kate and suddenly hugged her tightly. "Thank you, Kate… for being there for me... even though I didn't listen to you."

"Anything for you, sweety…."

"Kate, you've had to endure so much, all because of my stupidity."

"Hey, you're not stupid! Just don't do anything like that again, okay?"

Alexis nodded.

"By the way, how much do you know?" _How much did Rick tell her?_

"Dad didn't tell me anything. He only said, when you say you'd do anything for me, you mean literally _anything._"

"Of course, Alexis! We're family."

The younger woman rested her head on Kate's shoulders and sighed, "Yes, we're family."

Rick stood at the door, listening to his wife and daughter. He was a lucky man. He'd strive throughout his lifetime to keep them safe. He owed it to them.

He reigned in his emotions before floating into the room with a bottle and three glasses, "Okay, who wants a drink?"

_A/N: What do you think? Tell me._

_**Gloriajv, **__you're right! (moms are always right :P )__I tried to clarify the thing that you pointed. But there're only so many words I could put in their mouths… Did the dialogue make the thing clear? For the rest of you who don't know what I'm talking about… hehe… that's a little secret ;)_

_All the loose ends are tied. This story is almost over. There's an epilogue coming up in a few hours. Who wants an epilogue? Raise your hands ;)_

_**Disclaimer: If Mr. Marlowe is reading this, he's still not impressed enough to give me a job… but there's another chapter left, so… maybe there's hope!**_


	12. Epilogue

_**Epilogue:**_

She woke up to the sound of waves crashing on land. She cracked her eyelids open, one at a time. She wondered idly where she was. She stretched comfortably under the sheets and felt an arm resting heavily on her stomach. She craned her neck to glance at the alarm clock. The neon letters read 4.30 am, 01-03-2016. She remembered.

_Oh! They were on vacation… In the Hamptons._

She wanted to go back to sleep but sleep would now be elusive. Carefully, she slipped out from her sleeping husband's adorably possessive hold. She stretched lithely as her feet touched the carpet.

She walked across the room and stood by the huge glass window. She looked out at the ocean. It was still dark. She marveled at how different the ocean looked from last morning… or day… or night.

Kate Beckett loved the ocean. It reminded her of her mother. It reminded her of all the summer vacations with her parents…those days of unbridled joy. When Kate was a kid, they always used to come to the Hamptons for summer. She still remembered how she loved running barefoot in the warm sand… how they used to build sand castles. A smile crept on her lips as she remembered the near heart attack her father had when she wore a two piece bikini on the beach for the first time. He had threatened to follow Kate everywhere with a shotgun to ward off boys. Her mother had ultimately convinced her father to relax. That was their last ever family vacation. Kate was visiting Kiev the next summer… And the summer after that, her mom wasn't there with them… She never visited Hamptons again because it was too painful for her to be reminded of her mother wherever she looked.

After a huge gap of more than a decade, she visited Hamptons again… with Rick. By this time, her mom's killer had been brought to justice. The visit had not been as painful as she thought it would be. And now, so much water had flown under the bridge. Rick was now her husband for two years and their daughter had now joined JD in NYU. Alexis dreamt of being a criminal lawyer and she was well on her way to becoming one.

She wondered what Johanna Beckett would've to say about her granddaughter aiming to be a criminal lawyer. She smiled. It didn't hurt to think of her mother anymore. She did miss her… Her memories were tinged with a hint of sadness but the pain was gone. She could now remember her without her heart being ripped apart. She could now cherish those memories with a smile on her face.

Katherine Beckett had healed.

She heard her phone vibrate once in the silent room, feebly drawing attention to itself.

Kate padded to the dresser and picked up the device. A text message sat unopened. She hit the button.

_Do what you've got to do, girl! –Lanie_

Lanie! The girl had sent a text while at work on night shift! She smiled again as she remembered their conversation from last night.

She placed the phone back on the dresser, took a deep breath and headed to the bathroom. She peered to look at her sleeping husband once before closing the door.

(…)

The first rays of the sun hit his face and his eyes scrunched up. He grunted and turned over, trying to feel his wife beside him. She was gone.

_Of course! His insomniac wife…_

He grudgingly opened his eyes and took in the empty bed beside him. He grunted and got up, wiping the drool over the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He felt the stubble forming over his chin. He ran the other hand through his unruly hair. He blinked a few times.

Where had Kate gone?

After taking a few minutes to freshen himself up, he strode out of their room. The French doors at the end of the corridor were open.

Rick walked through the open door and found Kate sitting on the deck, gazing out at sea.

When she sensed his movement behind her, she smiled. "Good morning, Rick." Her eyes never left the ocean.

"Morning, Kate." Rick stood beside her and kissed lightly on her lips before settling on a chair next to her.

They sat in comfortable silence. Rick gazed at Kate as red rays of the nascent sun played with Kate's wind-tousled brown hair. Kate looked beautiful today. She was always beautiful but this morning, Kate… _glowed_.

"It's still creepy," Kate smiled.

"Hmmm…. What are you thinking?"

Kate sighed. How could she put into words the thousand thoughts that swirled inside her? "Look at the ocean, Rick. There're no two moments when it looks alike. There's so much mystery… just like life."

Rick pondered over Kate's words and nodded in agreement. "True… it's mysterious. Every moment it's different. But it's always beautiful… just like life."

Kate agreed. _Life was beautiful._

(…..)

After an hour, they came down to the kitchen for breakfast. Alexis had already started on pancakes.

"Hello daughter, you're up early!" Rick greeted the young woman.

"Good morning to you too, father. Morning, Kate!"

"Morning, honey!"

"Making pancakes? I wanna join!" Rick almost jumped in excitement. Alexis rolled her eyes and handed over the ladle to her father.

Kate smiled. She still marveled at how little it took to excite Rick.

Within a few minutes, Rick got bored of the actual recipe and started experimenting. It ended with flour snowing all over the place and into Alexis' red hair.

"Dad!" She cried out indignantly but Rick grinned and chucked some more flour at her. Alexis huffed and left the kitchen. She pulled up a stool and sat beside Kate at the counter. "I don't know how you tolerate him, Kate!" She complained while trying to brush the flour off her hair.

"Well, it's just like handling kids…" Kate grinned.

Alexis shook her head. "But really Kate, he's a two year old with ADHD!"

Kate bit her lip. "In that case Alexis, you don't need to worry… He'll soon have someone closer to his age to play with."

Alexis grinned absently at first. Then the words sunk in and her eyes grew wide.

A huge clatter sounded in the kitchen and Rick rushed out of the kitchen, covered with flour from head to toe. "What did you just say?"

Kate couldn't help but chuckle at her husband. "Wow! Never thought this moment would be so…._floury." _

"Don't laugh, cruel woman! Did you just say what I think you said?"

"If you think I said that we'll soon be welcoming a Castle junior in our home, then yeah, I said what you think I said." _Wow! That was one hell of a complex sentence!_

There was silence for a whole minute.

"Oh My God! Kate!" Alexis cried out in glee.

It took Rick another minute to shake himself out of his stupor. He swooped up Kate in his arms and swirled her in air. Kate shrieked in laughter.

When Kate was put back on her feet, Alexis pounced on them and hugged them fiercely. When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes.

"Alexis?" Kate sounded worried.

Alexis hastily brushed away her tears. "Oh, it's nothing… It's just that I've always dreamed of having a little brother or sister… Never thought the dream would come true, you know… Thank you, Kate!"

The mother and the daughter hugged again.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Rick whined.

"Because I found out this morning," A huge smile shone on her face like diamonds.

"Okay, so we've to call mother and your dad. We'll have to make an appointment with the OBG-GYN, draw up your diet chart, inform precinct, shop for utilities, pick up baby names…" Rick was cut off by Kate.

"Whoa! Easy Boy! When I said soon, I didn't mean this weekend."

"Yeah, right…" Rick trailed off absently. Suddenly his face broke into a silly grin. "I'm going to be a daddy!"

(…)

Flour and pots lay forgotten in the kitchen as they abandoned their plans to cook breakfast and went out to celebrate with cakes and cookies.

An hour later, Kate sat on the sand, looking at the sea while Rick sat beside her with an arm around her. Alexis stood at a little distance from them, letting the waves lick her toes. The atmosphere was serene and a comfortable silence rested between them.

A boat sailed on the sea at a considerable distance from the shore. The sun shone brightly and its yellow sails stood out against the blue sky. They watched idly as the boat made its way to the horizon.

Their life was like that boat with yellow sails, surrounded by sparkly blue waves. They never knew when the ocean would be calm. They never knew when they'd sail into a storm. All they knew was that no two moments would be alike… but all the moments would be beautiful.

_Life was beautiful._

_A/N: Aaaaand…. The End! _

_Did you like it? I love to hope. Life is beautiful, isn't it? I mean, there are moments of pain and heartbreak. There're moments when it seems like the end of the world, like the end of life… but we always manage to survive them. We lose our loved ones to death or to life… but there's always hope._

_Okay, philosophy lesson is over. Wow! The story has finally ended. I started writing it last Saturday. 12 chapters and 31K+ words in 7 days… not bad, huh? ;) It feels so strange to watch it grow from a blank MS word document, only to end… I wonder if this is how my mom felt when I grew up and left home for college… (I'm not comparing raising kids with writing stories. Raising me was far more difficult for my mom than it was for me to write this story…)_

_I dedicate this story to __**Gloriajv**__. She posted the first review on this story and also made it a point to review every chapter. Whenever she was unable to review, she sent me a PM. She's the best reader a writer can expect._

_**Crazy4Castle, **__you're a close second. You made me laugh out loud with your reviews! Specially your comment, "Dickless Dick." Had I heard that earlier from you, I would have definitely put that in my story! You're a gem._

_**Ariel119 **__has offered to help me if I ever have any question about English language! You're so kind, girl! (Guys, a round of applause for her!)_

_Okay, others… don't pout. I love you all!_

_The festive month is about to end in India and I'll have be back to work next week. That doesn't mean you will not see me again. You will! (that is, if you want to see me!) I'll be back with a new mystery after November 13. Hope to see you then!_

_I should definitely stop now, before the A/N becomes longer than the story :P_

_Love you guys! I'll miss you… seriously :)_

_**Disclaimer: Nope! I'm not Andrew Marlowe. But I admire that guy. He's a freaking genius!**_


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